The Impact of Stereotypes

A stereotype is a belief or expectation about members of a certain group. It presents an oversimplified opinion or attitude that is often negative. It goes beyond necessary and useful categorizations and generalizations, is usually based on little information, and is highly generalized.

Stereotypes come from many sources and we aren't always conscious of the ones we hold. Believing a stereotype can prevent us from seeing who someone really is and what they really need, accepting any information that confirms our existing beliefs and seeing anything that doesn't as an exception or special case.

Our support for students will be most effective when we are responding to what they actually need in order to learn. So an important part of being an effective TA is being mindful of any assumptions we might find ourselves making, doing our best to assess student needs based on what they do and say, not on any pre-judgements we might be inclined to make.

Stereotype Threat

Even when educators are able to avoid judging students based on stereotypes, the way students experience interactions can be affected by stereotypes. Stereotype Threat is something a person experiences when they expect to be judged by a stereotype based on their membership in a particular identity group. The anxiety of Stereotype Threat can create a particularly strong fear of confirming negative stereotypes.

For instance, there are many existing stereotypes about which identity groups are not "naturally" gifted in Computer Science. Being aware of these stereotypes might lead a student who identifies as Latina/o/x to expect a CS TA to have low expectations of their abilities. Even if that particular TA doesn't believe that particular stereotype, the student's anxiety about being pre-judged in that way is very real and can influence their confidence in their own abilities. And, unless the TA effectively communicates their confidence in the student's ability to succeed, the student might also suspect that any feedback from the TA is negatively biased. Techniques like Wise Feedback can help to avoid or at least soften the effects of Stereotype Threat when delivering the criticism a student needs to improve.

Stereotype Promise

Stereotype Promise is similar to Stereotype Threat in that it can lead someone to expect others to make assumptions about their abilities based on their membership in an identity group. However, Stereotype Promise is based on stereotypes that appear to be positive, assumptions that a particular group will "naturally" be good at something. While this might not have the same type of impact on a student's confidence, it can still foster a fixed mindset that might limit a student's growth. With Stereotype Threat, the anxiety is based on fears that any flaws in your own performance serving as confirmation of a negative stereotype about an entire group. With Stereotype Promise, the anxiety is based on fears that you will either not live up to the high expectations someone has of you because of a stereotype or that any success you have will seem unremarkable, attributed to your identity group membership rather than any skill or effort of your own.

One of the most persistent racial stereotypes in education is the idea that people of Asian decent are "naturally" good at STEM subjects. Whether the stereotype is attributed to biology or culture, it is still a stereotype. While it might seem on the surface that it benefits a student to have people assume they are going to be good at something, it is still an assumption that is not based on that particular student's existing skills and performance. This can be particularly detrimental to Asian students who would benefit from additional academic support, since an assumption that they are already good at something can lead their instructors to miss signs that they are falling behind.