Week #4
PERSONAL FACTORS - are the individual
characteristics, qualities, attributes, motives, skills,
abilities, intrinsic within the student, physical or mental.
It’s what the student possesses.
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Stereotype Threat is the threat of being viewed through the lens of a negative
stereotype or the fear of doing something that would inadvertently confirm that
stereotype.
According to Claude Steele there are 5 main features of stereotype threat:
1. Stereotype threat affects members of any group about whom there exists
some negative stereotype. It has the potential to affect members of any group,
if a situation makes them believe they will be viewed in light of a negative
stereotype.
2. A stereotype must be relevant to one’s self for it to be threatening; in other
words, one must care about the domain or behavior that the stereotype
describes. (Domain Identification)
3. Stereotype threat is variable across different groups and situations. Different
groups experience different degrees of threat depending on the content of the
stereotype and the situation.
4. One need not believe in the stereotype for it to be threatening.
5. Trying to disprove a stereotype—by outperforming for example—has
detrimental effects and leads to a decrease in performance
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In order for Stereotype Threat to occur one must have Domain Identification
Example - Students identify with the “Academic” Identification
Domain Identification - To make this identification, what is necessary?
• I care about the domain, I can identify with it, it’s positive for me
• It interests me, it is attractive, provides rewards for me
• I can be accepted and valued in that domain, I have a sense of belonging
• I have the skill, talent, the ability, I belong
• No insurmountable barriers exist to domain entry, adequate opportunity available
Stereotype Threat
• Arises in a situation in which the stereotype is relevant
• The situation strikes one as a test of stereotype-relevant qualities
• Arises for people who have made the relevant identifications – they care about doing
well
• For them, the threat is to their “self-identity”
The Theory Stated
• When a negative stereotype becomes salient as a criterion for impact
• Individual group members become concerned about confirming the stereotype
• Through various psychological mechanisms, the concern can cause group members
to perform more poorly, than they would performing in a neutral context
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Research Evidence
1. Women scored worst when test was primed “difficult”
and on math than they did on the literature portion of
the exam (frustration performance)
2. Is it Genes? - In the study, telling participants that the
study was to “show gender differences” made a
difference: situational pressure
3. Among African Americans, indicating race affects score,
saying it was a test of intellectual ability or lab problem
affected scores
4. Stereotypical Word Test: African Americans completed
most self-doubt words and disaffiliated w/Black culture
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Disidentification – offers the retreat of not caring about
the domain in relations to self.
• But as it protects, it could undermine sustained
motivation in the domain – results could be costly
when the domain is as important as education
• self is protected because it no longer values that
domain, doesn’t care, but it can also become
problematic by undermining the importance
• Inadequacy can become part of the personality
and have low expectations for self, de-motivation,
and low performance
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Stereotype Threat affects Confident Students
The Best Students are most affected and fare the worst
“most achievement oriented students, who were also the
most skilled, motivated, and confident were the most
impaired by stereotype threat.”
Why? –
This happens because they identified more with school,
trying hard to disconfirm the negative stereotype about
their group.
They are plagued with a host of threatening distractions,
obstacles, self consciousness, test anxiety, loss of
motivation – all leading to a dramatic decreases in test
performance
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Strategies:
For domain ID and non-domain ID
– Optimistic teacher/student relationships
– Giving challenging work, but achievable
– Stressing expandability of intelligence
For domain ID only
– Affirm domain belongingness
– Value multiple perspectives
– Role models
For non-domain ID only
– Nonjudgmental responses
– Build self efficacy
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A positive personal factor that can enhance academic
success-- “Resliency”
What is a Resilient student?
• Being able to overcome
• Despite incredible hardships and the presence of “atrisk” factors, some students have developed
characteristics and coping skills that enable them to
succeed.
• They appear to develop stable, healthy personas and
are able to recover from or adapt to life’s stresses and
problems.
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What enables “resilient” students to succeed academically?
Elements of Resiliency
• Individual Attributes - positive attitudes, high intrinsic
motivation, and internal locus of control, strong self efficacy, clear
realistic goals, optimistic, do not blame home environment or school
• Positive Use of Time – extracurricular activities, sports,
hobbies provide a refuge for students, involvement in required
helpfulness – volunteer work, community service,
• Family Factors - has close bond with at least once caregiver
(family composition does not matter) - educational background of
parents helpful
• School Factors - support in school, extracurricular increases
involvement. School staff who have taken a personal interest in
student.
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Profile of a Resilient Student
1. Internal locus of control and healthy internal
attributions
2. Take responsibility for their successes and failures and
show a strong sense of self-efficacy– “my fault if I don’t
do well”, recognize they have to work harder
3. they feel they have been successful because they
have chosen to be and credit themselves
4. have positive expectations about their abilities –
optimistic, strong sense of hope
5. involved in positive activities, that provide them a
sense of support, success and recognition
6. have a trusting relationship with an adult, using one
parent
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Implications:
• Teachers should establish reference points
where achievement will be identified and relate
success to effort
• Teachers/counselors need to be trained and
encouraged to provide activities to build
students’ self-esteem and self-confidence
• Extracurricular activities expanded and
promoted
• Teachers need to be trained and encouraged to
develop relationships with at-risk children
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Two types of motivation:
1. Intrinsic – students undertake an activity for its own
sake, for the enjoyment it provides, the learning it
permits or the feelings of accomplishment it evokes
– advantages of students being intrinsically motivated is they
employ strategies that demand more effort and enable them to
process information more deeply --- they develop into the critical
thinkers, won’t give up so easily when challenged, become the
problem solvers; they learn to process information
2. Extrinsic – students perform in order to obtain some
reward or avoid some punishment external to the
activity itself, like grades, stickers, teacher approval,
parent retribution.
– disadvantage of extrinsic motivation, it has the potential of
decreasing existing intrinsic motivation (students will come to
expect something every time they perform (money for A’s on
report card)
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“Learning and Motivation”
Motivation is defined as an internal state that
arouses, directs and maintains behavior.
Motivation is manifested in the classroom by the
following behaviors:
– choice of behavior,
– level of the activity and involvement
– persistence of behavior
– and regulation of effort.
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Influences on School learning and motivation are found
both inside and outside of the classroom
• Social and cultural factors – stds don’t come to classroom
as “blank slates”, also what is considered intelligent behavior in one
setting may not be viewed as such in another
• Classroom Contextual Factors – teachers structure
activities, award and interact w/ stds in ways that influence stds
personal learning and goals or intentions for performing a task.
– Mastery goal is oriented toward learning as much as possible for
self-improvement, irrespective of the performance of others
– Performance goal focuses on social comparison and competition
with the main purpose of outperforming others on the task.
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TARGET Dimensions that affect motivation in the classroom &
instructional changes that can help influence motivation
•
Task – type of task given can influence different types of motivation, link classroom
activities to students’ life experiences
•
Authority – how much opportunity stds are given to take their own initiative &
responsibility for their learning
•
Recognition dimension concerns with the formal and informal use of rewards
•
Grouping dimension focus on the ability of students to work effectively with each
other (cooperative, competitive, indivi). Should use a variety of grouping
•
Evaluation – type and frequency of evaluation can have an impact on std motivation.
Should reduce social comparison and competition in the classroom
•
Time Dimension – concerns the appropriateness of the task, the pace of instruction
and the time allotted for completing learning activities and assignments.
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Internal Factors
• Value Component – Why am I doing this task?
- A student’s goal orientation may guide the general direction of the behavior
whereas “Value” may influence the strength or intensity of the behavior.
– In general individuals tend to be become involved in tasks that they
positively “value” and avoid tasks that they negatively value
• Expectant Component: Can I do this task? –
– Self Efficacy Beliefs (can do belief, I have the ability),
– Control Belief (can do, but can’t control the outcome),
– Attribution Beliefs (explanations for causes of their successes or failures)
•
•
•
•
ability (good/bad in math),
effort (studied/didn’t study),
task difficulty (easy/hard test),
luck (guessed right/wrong)
• Affective Component: How Do I feel about the Task?
– Anxiety (affects student’s emotional state), Covington’s Self-Worth Theory
(one is valued because of accomplishments will use procrastination,
unattainable goals or underachiever to protect any inferences to a lack of
ability)
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Student Self-Regulation Strategies
Self-Talk – the running dialogue inside our heads. What we say to ourselves is an
important factor in determining our attitudes, feelings, emotions, and behavior.
EXAMPLE – the little engine that could. SELF-TALK help us to try new tasks,
to persist in difficult situations, can also be unproductive when it is negative.
How can we change negative self talk?
Goal Setting – establishing specific goals helps to direct attention to tasks, mobilize
effort, increase persistence, and promote the use of new strategies when old ones
stop working
Concentration & Attention skills that are critical in school: 1) identification of
important text elements, 2) comprehension monitoring, 3) sustained attention on
tasks (persistence – important for stds to deal with internal and external
distractions.)
Time Management –dealing more with making the right choices about how you’ll use
your time is more important that doing an efficient job, effectiveness more important
Procrastination – is a complex problem with no simple solution, there are diff types of
academic procrastination, no one treatment can be effective with all stds. Students
must seek out the causes for the procrastination and change attitude implement
changes.
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