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The Effects of Stereotypes on the Achievement Gap: Reexamining the Academic Performance of African American High School Students

Mercer University, tkellow{at}pdq.net or kellow_jt{at}mercer.edu

Brett D. Jones

Virginia Tech

This study investigated whether African American high school freshman students experience stereotype threat when taking a test that is seen as a predictor of their success on a high-stakes test. The authors conceptually replicated a previous study by Kellow and Jones (2005) using a true experimental design, as opposed to a quasi-experimental design. White students scored statistically significantly higher than African American students when told that their test performance would be predictive of their performance on a statewide, high-stakes standardized test. The following potential mediators of stereotype threat were included in the study and the effects of each are discussed: (a) perceptions of ability and expectancy for success, (b) achievement goal orientation, (c) anxiety, and (d) perceptions of stereotype threat. The results suggest that African American students are at a disadvantage compared to White students when their knowledge and skills are measured using a high-stakes standardized test. Implications for high-stakes testing of African American students are discussed.

Key Words: stereotype threat • achievement gap • African American academic achievement • stereotype lift

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