An Effort to Close Achievement Gaps at Scale Through Self-Affirmation

• Published in: Educational evaluation and policy analysis Vol. 38; no. 1; pp. 21 - 42
• Main Authors: Borman, Geoffrey D., Grigg, Jeffrey, Hanselman, Paul
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.03.2016; American Educational Research Association
• Subjects: Academic achievement; Academic achievement gaps; Achievement Gap; Demographics; Elementary school students; Ethnic Stereotypes; Grade 7; Grade Point Average; Hypothesis Testing; Mathematics Achievement; Middle School Students; Minority Group Students; Randomized Controlled Trials; Reading Achievement; Scores; Self Esteem; Self evaluation; Social Influences; Social psychology; Standardized Tests; Stereotypes; Student Characteristics; Wisconsin; Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations; Writing Assignments; Wisconsin; scale-up; stereotype threat; self-affirmation; achievement gap; randomized trial
• ISSN: 0162-3737; 1935-1062
• DOI: 10.3102/0162373715581709

In this districtwide scale-up, we randomly assigned seventh-grade students within 11 schools to receive a series of writing exercises designed to promote values affirmation. Impacts on cumulative seventh-grade grade point average (GPA) for the district's racial/ethnic minority students who may be subject to stereotype threat are consistent with but smaller than those from prior smaller scale studies. Also, we find some evidence of impact on minority students' standardized mathematics test scores. These effects address a substantial portion of the achievement gap unexplained by demographics and prior achievement—the portion of the gap potentially attributable to stereotype threat. Our results suggest that persistent achievement gaps, which may be explained by subtle social and psychological phenomena, can be mitigated by brief, yet theoretically precise, social-psychological interventions.