| Literature DB >> 26217256 |
Markus Appel1, Silvana Weber1, Nicole Kronberger2.
Abstract
In many regions around the world students with certain immigrant backgrounds underachieve in educational settings. This paper provides a review and meta-analysis on one potential source of the immigrant achievement gap: stereotype threat, a situational predicament that may prevent students to perform up to their full abilities. A meta-analysis of 19 experiments suggests an overall mean effect size of 0.63 (random effects model) in support of stereotype threat theory. The results are complemented by moderator analyses with regard to circulation (published or unpublished research), cultural context (US versus Europe), age of immigrants, type of stereotype threat manipulation, dependent measures, and means for identification of immigrant status; evidence on the role of ethnic identity strength is reviewed. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.Entities:
Keywords: identity; immigrants; meta-analysis; stereotype threat
Year: 2015 PMID: 26217256 PMCID: PMC4495554 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00900
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Front Psychol ISSN: 1664-1078
Characteristics of the studies included in the meta-analysis.
| Study no. | Study | P | Immigrant group | Manipulation of stereotype or social identity threat | Dependent measure | DV group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yes | Immigrants of different origin in Austria | Anti-immigrant or neutral political party posters were shown in-between two intelligence tests | CFT | 0 | |
| 2 | Yes | Latino/as in the US | Test characterized either as diagnostic of intelligence and sensitive to ethnic differences or test purpose stated to be computerized versus paper-pencil | Math test (algebra, geometry, similar to GRE) | 1 | |
| 3 | Yes | North Africans in France | Test characterized either as diagnostic of intelligence or as a memory test. Ethnicity asked before or after test. | Memory test (Rey-figure) | 0 | |
| 4 | Yes | Arabs in France | Test characterized either as diagnostic of intelligence or as characterized as a memory test in development | Verbal ability items (GRE) | 1 | |
| 5 | No | Latino/as in the US | Classroom notes were shown in order to remind participants of ethnic inequalities or neutral condition | Verbal ability items (similar to GRE) | 1 | |
| 6 | Froehlich et al. (in revision) | No | Turks in Germany | Test characterized either as diagnostic of verbal intelligence or as test under development | Verbal ability items (similar to GRE) | 1 |
| 7 | Yes | Latino/as in the US | Test characterized either as diagnostic or as non-diagnostic of mathematical and spatial abilities | Mathematical and spatial ability (Wonderlic test) | 1 | |
| 8 | Yes | Latino/as in the US | Test characterized either as diagnostic of ‘general ability’ or as an interest measure | CFT | 0 | |
| 9 | Yes | Sub-Saharan Africans in Belgium | Test characterized as an entrance test for prestigious jobs. It was or was not further stated that Africans were found to underperform in this test | CFT | 0 | |
| 10 | Mok et al. (in preparation) | No | Turks in Germany | Introduction stated that test has (not) revealed performance differences between Germans and Turks in the past | Verbal ability items (GRE) | 1 |
| 11 | No | Latinas in the US | Test characterized either as diagnostic or as non-diagnostic of “true abilities” | WAIS (subtests letter-no., similarity, block, arithmetic) | 1 | |
| 12 | No | Latino/as in the US | Participants were or were not asked to rate the “level of bias” of the test prior to the crucial test part. Moreover, participants were or were not applied to electrodes and connected to a pseudo “effort meter” | Verbal ability items (GRE, computerized) | 1 | |
| 13 | No | Latino/as in the US | Participants were or were not asked to rate the “level of bias” of the test, prior to the crucial test part | Verbal ability items (GRE) | 1 | |
| 14 | Yes | Latino/as in the US | Task characterized either as predictive of intelligence and meant to establish group-wise norms or no such information | Working memory test | 0 | |
| 15 | Schultz et al. (unpublished manuscript), Study 1 | No | Latino/as in the US | Introduction mentioned previous underperformance of Latinos and participants had to list three reasons for that. In the control condition neither was this information given nor the task required | Verbal ability items (similar to GRE) | 1 |
| 16 | Schultz et al. (unpublished manuscript) Study 2 | No | Latino/as in the US | Same as in Schultz et al. (unpublished manuscript), Study 1 | Verbal ability items (similar to GRE) | 1 |
| 17 | Schultz et al. (unpublished manuscript) Study 3 | No | Latino/as in the US | Same as in Schultz et al. (unpublished manuscript), Study 1 | Verbal ability items (similar to GRE) | 1 |
| 18 | No | Turks in Germany | Test characterized either as an ability test that shows differences between immigrants and non-immigrants or as a test non-diagnostic of abilities | Standard Progressive Matrices ( | 0 | |
| 19 | Yes | Immigrants of different origin in the Netherlands | Test characterized either as an intelligence test and ethnicity items placed before the DV or test not characterized as an intelligence test and ethnicity items placed after DV | Dutch intelligence test (adapted), numerical, abstract reasoning, verbal reasoning | 1 | |
Study results and statistics.
| Study no. | Immigrant sample size | SMD (d) | SE SMD(d) | wiv |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1a | 49 | -0.41 | 0.29 | 11.96 |
| 2b | 40 | -1.45 | 0.36 | 7.92 |
| 3 | 44 | -2.37 | 0.39 | 6.46 |
| 4c | 50 | -0.72 | 0.29 | 11.75 |
| 5 | 36 | -0.47 | 0.34 | 8.75 |
| 6 | 126 | -0.02 | 0.18 | 31.47 |
| 7 | 60 | -0.70 | 0.27 | 14.13 |
| 8 | 47 | -1.13 | 0.31 | 10.11 |
| 9d | 34 | -0.64 | 0.35 | 8.09 |
| 10 | 78 | -0.21 | 0.23 | 19.26 |
| 11 | 60 | -0.51 | 0.26 | 14.53 |
| 12e,f | 20 | -0.92 | 0.47 | 4.48 |
| 13e | 56 | -0.67 | 0.28 | 13.18 |
| 14 | 33 | -0.54 | 0.35 | 7.96 |
| 15 | 44 | -0.68 | 0.31 | 10.39 |
| 16 | 40 | -0.64 | 0.32 | 9.51 |
| 17 | 80 | -0.33 | 0.23 | 19.72 |
| 18g | 25 | -0.63 | 0.42 | 5.73 |
| 19 | 138 | 0.06 | 0.17 | 34.37 |
Summary of the moderator analyses, mixed effects model.
| Variable | Between-groups analysis | Subgroup effect size | By group analysis | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Circulation | ||||
| Unpublished | 10 | |||
| Published | 9 | |||
| Immigrant group | ||||
| Latina/o in the US | 11 | |||
| Immigrants in Europe | 8 | |||
| Age group | ||||
| Adolescents | 5 | |||
| Adults | 14 | |||
| Stereotype threat treatment | ||||
| Subtle | 7 | |||
| Moderate | 5 | |||
| Blatant | 7 | |||
| Dependent measures | ||||
| Non-verbal, fluid intelligence tasks or memory | 6 | |||
| GRE-like (verbal, maths) | 13 | |||
| Group categorization | ||||
| Immigrant status not self-identified only | 6 | |||
| Immigrant status self-identified | 13 |