Stereotype Threat in Education

Stereotype threat refers to worries that arise for members of negatively stereotyped groups (e.g., female students in math and science classes) when they believe that they can be viewed or might perform in accordance to negative stereotypes of their group. Social scientists have given great attention to studying stereotype threat because of its ability to impair learning and performance and to reduce motivation and interest in educational contexts. This entry briefly reviews psychological research examining when stereotype threat is most likely to occur and how threat leads to negative academic outcomes. The entry concludes with discussions of how stereotype threat researchers have responded to criticism and what methods have been tested to reduce or eliminate stereotype threat in the classroom.