Beware of Stereotypes: Are Classmates' Stereotypes Associated With Students' Reading Outcomes?

Understanding gender inequality in children's reading behavior: New insights from digital behavioral data

This study examined gender differences in reading behavior of 2652 Danish 5th-grade students (age 10-12 years, girls 51%, 14% immigrant background) observed for 218 days in 2019/2020, using data from a popular reading app. Reading behavior was operationalized as time spent reading. Analyses of timing of reading behavior and models of day-to-day reading time were employed to investigate the gender gap in reading behavior. Results show that girls read more than boys. This differential can be attributed to girls reading more outside school hours, during weekends and holidays than boys while there are no gender differences in reading activity during school hours. Results suggest that girls with positive academic attitudes were more inclined to read than boys with similar attitudes.

Stereotypes in the classroom's air: Classroom racial stereotype endorsement, classroom engagement, and STEM achievement among Black and White American adolescents

Initiatives promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in predominantly White contexts, including STEM fields, have primarily relied on approaches to increase the representation of minoritized individuals. However, an increase in the representation of minoritized individuals is only one step of the process, as the present study suggests that explicit beliefs about particular racial groups' abilities also matter. The present article examined whether classroom racial stereotype endorsement about science and math disadvantaged Black American adolescents relative to their White American peers. Across two longitudinal studies with 533 and 1,189 adolescents (N-adolescents = 1722; N-classrooms = 86; 45% Black American, 55% White American; 51% females; M-age = 13-14), classroom pro-White/anti-Black stereotype endorsement in the fall term predicted better science and math achievement scores for White American adolescents and lower science and math achievement scores for Black American adolescents at the end of the academic year. Student- and teacher-reported student engagement in science and math classrooms mediated the longitudinal relations between classroom pro-White/anti-Black stereotype endorsement and students' achievement scores. Results suggest that classrooms may be important conduits for communicating racial stereotypes that create racially hostile STEM learning environments. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Using a longitudinal sample of 1722 adolescents enrolled in 86 classrooms, the present study examined the consequences of classroom racial stereotype endorsement during adolescence. White American adolescents demonstrated favorable achievement scores in science and math when their classmates endorsed traditional, or pro-White/anti-Black, stereotypes. Black American adolescents showed worse achievement scores in science and math when their classmates endorsed pro-White/anti-Black stereotypes. Classroom engagement mediated the longitudinal relations between classroom pro-White/anti-Black stereotype endorsement and achievement scores for both Black and White American adolescents.

Neuromyths and knowledge about intellectual giftedness in a highly educated multilingual country

Introduction

Understanding brain functioning and intellectual giftedness can be challenging and give rise to various misconceptions. Nonetheless, there seems to be a widespread fascination and appetite for these subjects among the lay public and diverse professionals. The present study is the first to investigate general knowledge about the brain, neuromyths and knowledge about giftedness in a highly multilingual and educated country.

Methods

Starting from and extending two seminal studies on neuromyths, several novel statements on intellectual giftedness have been included in order to explore knowledge and misconceptions concerning giftedness. Our sample (N = 200) was composed of Luxembourgish education professionals, including students in educational science and cognitive psychology, thus allowing to analyze responses in general and according to training and professional profiles. Specifically, Group 1 consisted of teachers and futures teachers (n = 152). Group 2 consisted of other education professionals and psychology students (n = 48).

Results

Despite the size and the unbalanced distribution of the sample, our findings indicate a good level of general knowledge about the brain and learning (71.3% of correct responses in average) which does, however, not preclude the presence of the typically observed original neuromyths. Thus, we replicate the classical finding that misconceptions on Learning Styles (70% of error rate) and the Multiple Intelligence Theory (71.5% of error rate) are the most represented, both in (future and in-service) teachers and other education professionals. Moreover, the present sample also revealed a high presence of misconceptions on intellectual giftedness.

Discussion

Limitations and future directions are discussed.

The role of classroom- and individual-level teen stereotypes in Chinese adolescents' academic adjustment: A multilevel analysis

Adolescence is often portrayed in a negative light in Western culture, with teens being viewed as rebellious and irresponsible. Yet, there is substantial cultural and individual variability in views of teens. The empirical research to date is limited in that it mainly examines whether teen stereotypes are influential at the individual level. Teen stereotypes might also be perpetuated at the classroom level, which may have important implications for adolescent adjustment over time. Focusing on adolescents in Chinese culture where the teen years are often viewed in a positive light, this two-wave longitudinal study employed multi-level analyses to investigate whether stereotypes of adolescence at the classroom level play a role in Chinese adolescents' academic adjustment over time (N = 785; 55% girls; mean age = 12.96 years). Consistent with prior research on views of teens, the present analyses suggested that teen stereotypes regarding family obligation and school engagement at the individual level predicted adolescents' value of school and self-regulated learning strategies over the seventh grade. More importantly, classroom-level teen stereotypes were also largely predictive of adolescents' value of school and self-regulated learning strategies over time, controlling for their earlier academic adjustment, individual-level teen stereotypes, and classroom-level adjustment. Taken together, these findings indicate that stereotypes of adolescence in classroom or peer settings may contribute to adolescents' academic adjustment during this phase. The findings also provide a potential foundation for interventions aimed at promoting adolescents' positive development via changing teen stereotypes in the classroom.

Formation of Stereotypes of Human Behaviour under the Influence of Childhood Fears

The relevance of the study is due to the presence of a relationship that occurs between the emotional and intellectual development of the individual. Negative changes in the process of emotional development of a person lead to the fact that they are unable to use other structures, in particular, intelligence, and therefore develop harmoniously. As a basic emotion, fear is an integral part of the emotional field, as is the emotion of joy, sadness, and anger. Fear performs a protective function, but it also destroys the individual if it is irrational. The emotion of fear, arising in childhood, can be fixed and transformed into more acute manifestations, that is, into phobic disorders. Personality is formed under the influence of society, so a very important role in its development is played by models of upbringing in the family and those attitudes and prescriptions that a person learns from childhood. In adulthood, these patterns are manifested in the form of stereotypical behaviour, which substantially affects a person’s quality of life. Therefore, it is important to clarify how childhood fears can affect the individual in adulthood. The purpose of this study is to establish a link between childhood fears and stereotypical behaviour. A number of methods and techniques were used to achieve this goal, including theoretical (analysis, synthesis, generalisation) and practical (D. McLain’s general tolerance for uncertainty scale; tolerance-intolerance of ambiguity questionnaire by T.V. Kornilova; questionnaire of childhood fears). The results of the study show that in the case when a person cannot safely live through fears as a child, they have an impact on the psychological well-being of the individual, which encourages the formation of psychological problems. It is proved that as a result of gender stereotypes in education, male and female fears formed in childhood differ markedly. Therewith, it is noted that certain stereotypes have a positive meaning in a person’s life if they do not suppress their psychological development. The research materials will be useful for practical psychologists in the education and social fields, and teachers

Reducing gender differences in student motivational-affective factors: A meta-analysis of school-based interventions

BACKGROUND

Research shows that gender differences tend to exist in student motivational-affective factors in core subjects such as math, science or reading, where one gender is stereotypically disadvantaged.

AIMS

This study aimed to investigate strategies that could reduce these gender differences by conducting a meta-analysis on school-based intervention studies that targeted student motivational-affective factors. We therefore evaluated whether interventions had differential effects for male and female students' motivational-affective factors in a given academic subject. We also evaluated potential moderator variables.

METHOD

After conducting a systematic database search and screening abstracts for inclusion, we synthesized 71 effect sizes from 20 primary studies. All included studies were conducted in science or mathematics-related subjects, which are stereotypically female-disadvantaged.

RESULTS

While the interventions had significant positive effects for both genders, there was no statistically significant difference between the two genders with regard to the intervention effects on motivational-affective factors. However, the descriptive effect size for female students (g = .49) was far greater than for male students (g = .28). Moderator analyses showed no significant effects for grade level, intervention duration, or school subject, but there was a significant influence of intervention method used.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that school-based interventions have positive effects on motivational-affective factors for both genders. It also provides evidence that interventions in subjects where female students are stereotypically disadvantaged may have greater effects for females than for males. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

How Classmates' Gender Stereotypes Affect Students' Math Self-Concepts: A Multilevel Analysis

The present research is the first to examine how students' individual and their classmates' math-related gender stereotypes, endorsing that math would be a typically male domain, relate to students' math self-concepts. To this end, data of N = 1,424 secondary school students from Germany were analyzed using multilevel analyses. As expected, strong individual beliefs in the math-related gender stereotype were related to lower math self-concepts for girls, but to higher math self-concepts for boys. Moreover, classmates' shared beliefs in this stereotype showed a negative relation to girls' self-concepts, whereas no significant relation between classmates' shared beliefs and boys' self-concepts was found. These relations also persisted after controlling for students' math grades and age. In sum, the results demonstrated that gender stereotypes shared by students' classmates can have a substantial impact on students' math self-concepts, beyond their individual gender stereotypes. This finding emphasizes the significance of classmates as important socializing peers in the process of students' self-concept formation.