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29
Oct 18

The online classroom

Education has definitely changed with the introduction to online classrooms. There are plenty of people who used to think, and some still do, that an online degree is not worth as much as one that you get after studying on campus. I know a few people who still believe that my online degree is not the same degree that students on campus get. They think that the online classes are easier and that’s one reason why it’s not worth as much. The ones who don’t think that way are usually more motivating and encouraging. It has become quite frustrating attempting to explain to others that my online education is just as good as what students get in person on campus. The degree will be the same. I’m not sure why some try to argue this even today, but it is definitely frustrating and annoying.

Online education is just as important, valid, and useful. In my opinion, it requires more discipline when you have a lot of other responsibilites that you need to pay attention to at the same time. Some of us have full-time jobs, families (kids, parents, grandparents) that we are taking care of, while also at the same time going to school full-time. With all of that combined, you can forget about getting your eight or nine hours of sleep every night. Personally, I’m lucky to get six hours of sleep. It doesn’t happen as often as I’d like. All of the things mentioned above can also prevent you from sitting down and really think about what you have read and what you’d like to write for your assignments. Some content requires you to take a moment and think about it or research it even further.

The problem there is that there isn’t much time to do that and really enjoy what you are reading. I wish that there was time for me to enjoy and thoroughly research every single reading assignment (learning more about it, etc.), but there just isn’t much time. I’m sure that there is a lot going on for student’s on campus as well, where they don’t get much sleep either, but while they are on campus they are just responsible for themselves. They might have jobs while studying, too but they don’t have family members to take care of at the same time. This might not apply to all, but I think it applies to the majority.

The stereotype threat is the anxiety that students feel when they are faced with expectations consistent with stereotypes about their group (Schneider, 2012). The fear that they would confirm a stereotype in the eyes of others has been shown to affect someone’s academic motivation, self-concept, and academic performance (Schneider, 2012). I think that the stereotype threat can be applied to online education because of the fact that some people believe that online students are “less-than” and expect them to not be or not count as much as students on campus. Then some online students might be afraid of confirming this stereotype and that fear can get in the way of their academic performance and motivation. My motivation, academic performance, and self-concept have been affected a little bit in the beginning when I was told that my online education wasn’t “real”. It does produce anxiety and you have to fight to get that motivation back in order to break the stereotype threat.

 

References

Schneider, F. W. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: SAGE Pub.

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01
Nov 15

Stereotype Threat

A stereotype threat is the fear that one’s own actions will confirm the beliefs that are held in regards to a certain stereotype against them. I think it is safe to assume that we have all experienced this at one time or another throughout our lives. For example, I feel that at times I overcompensate to prove my ability as a woman, because of all of the stereotypes that women are challenged with. Sometimes, when I am trying too hard to disprove a stereotype, I spend so much energy in the mental stress over it, I wind up falling short of the task at hand. Like driving in a car with a judgmental male driver (aka my older brother) who is critical of my driving. Perhaps it is just an older brother thing. I know I am a good driver, my driving record shows that I am an excellent driver, as does my auto insurance rate. However, when I am driving him in the car with me, I tend to not drive as well. It is so frustrating, it makes me more anxious, and my driving gets worse by the minute. At the end of the day, it may be another year before we actually drive together, so the affects of the stereotype threat are not detrimental to me, but that is not always the case with stereotype threats.

When students are faced with a stereotype threat, it negatively affects their academic motivation, self-concept, and academic performance (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). This can create a great deal of anxiety for a student. Just from the fear of discrimination (stereotype) itself, the student’s academic self-concept can be reduced. As a result self-handicapping can occur and this only perpetuates the stereotypical belief on behalf for the party that is discriminating, as well as the student that this is being discriminated against.

There is a reciprocal relationship that exists between academic self-concept and academic self-achievement, and this tends to be the reason why a student begins to self-handicap their own performance. Inevitably, the student becomes disengaged. Research has shown that students in academically stigmatized groups are affected negatively by being underestimated and will confirm these underestimations in their performance because of it (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). Sometimes a “stereotype threat can produce the opposite effects, actually increasing quality of performance, in some circumstances” (Reducing Stereotype Threat.org, N.D.). However, in most other cases students tend to internalize the failure. Some students may disengage as a coping mechanism to a stereotype threat, even from the stereotypical group they were affiliated with and activities they may have once enjoyed.

According to the American Psychological Association (2006) it’s become clear that negative stereotypes raise inhibiting doubts and anxieties in a test-taker’s mind, resulting in the phenomenon of “stereotype threat.” This challenges previous beliefs that genetic and cultural differences were to blame. This research is indicative of how race and gender stigmas can have negative implications for a student, even after they are done with school. One long term affect is that the stereotyped students’ professional identities can be altered and actually redirect their aspirations and career paths (Reducing Stereotype Threat.org, N.D.).

Research has determined that positive student and teacher interactions are pertinent and that labels should be avoided. All students should be treated equally, with the expectation that they all have the capability to succeed (Vogt, N.D.). It has also been recommended that teacher’s be aware of their biases in how they teach and advise students. Furthermore, one cannot help but believe that educating students early on about stereotypes and discrimination, as part of the curriculum, would be an intervention worth investing in, considering the negative implications.

 

References

American Psychological Association. (2006, July 15). Stereotype Threat Widens Achievement Gap. Retrieved from American Psychological Association: http://www.apa.org/research/action/stereotype.aspx

Channel News Asia. (2014, June 2). Threat of Stereotypes | Social Experiments Illustrated | Channel NewsAsia Connect. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTYMSulvnyw

Reducing Stereotype Threat.org. (N.D.). What are the Consequences of Sterotype Threat. Retrieved from Reducing Stereotype Threat.org: http://www.reducingstereotypethreat.org/consequences.html

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psycholgy: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). California: Sage Publicationss.

Vogt, D. C. (N.D.). CHANGE: STEREOTYPE THREAT: CAUSES, EFFECTS, AND REMEDIES. Retrieved from Engineering Equity Extension Service: https://www.nae.edu/File.aspx?id=14325

 

 

Uncategorized — 2 Comments
30
Mar 15

Rewrite the Rules: Implications for Overcoming Stereotype Threat for Girls – Building New Self-Fulfilling Prophecies

What does it mean to do something ‘like a girl’? Long-believed perceptions of throwing, running and fighting ‘like a girl,’ were challenged in Always’ “Rewrite the Rules” campaign commercial, during the Super Bowl. For too many girls, being ‘like a girl’ indicates doing them in a weak physical manner. With belief in this concept, a stereotype threat (Steele, 1997; Steele & Aronson, 1995) can put girls at a risk for following the stereotyped expectations of their group, rather than working to their full potential.

Building a positive image of oneself is important, but it takes time and practice (Mountain State Centers for Independent Learning, n.d.).  Messages that are heard toward groups that a person identifies themselves to be a part of, can influence behavior and success.  Essentially, when someone believes that they or someone else will fail or succeed, it can influence failure or success (Schneider, 2012).

Can the principles of ‘Rewriting the Rules’ transcend into other cultural stereotypes? By rewriting the scripts, so that groups of people are given successful messages, perhaps more successful outcomes can result.  With this in mind, educators, along with positive advertising campaigns, such as ‘Rewriting the Rules’ can impact positive societal change.

In essence, positive and encouraging messages about ourselves and about others can be significant factors in overcoming negative stereotypes.  Self-esteem isn’t self-absorption; it’s self-respect (Mountain State Centers for Independent Learning, n.d.).  If we believe that we are capable, we can become more capable.  If we believe that we will fail, we possibly will.

Quotes to Ponder:

“Whatever we expect with confidence becomes our own self-fulfilling prophecy.” Brian Tracy
“Pessimism becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy; it reproduces itself by crippling our willingness to act.” Howard Zinn

References
Mountain State Centers for Independent Learning. (n.d.). Improving your Self Image. Retrieved from Positive Self Image and Self Esteem: www. mtstcil.org/skills/image-3.html
Schneider, F. W. (2012). Applied Social Psychology Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. In F. W. Schneider, Applied Social Psychology Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems Second Edition (pp. 3-16). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

 

 
Uncategorized — 1 Comment
02
Nov 14

Motivated Learners

by Amy Caraballo

It is easy to believe that students are more motivated to learn when they are interested in an academic subject or school activity. Most people can easily recall examples of favorite subjects from their past in which they excelled. Many can also recall subjects not as interesting that required a lot more purposeful effort in order to get through the work. Having to muddle through work that is tedious is not only cumbersome but can also be stressful, particularly if the task is difficult. It can be even more stressful if there are stereotypes about student capabilities. In ninth grade, my difficult subject was algebra one.

Credit: http://cheezburger.com/2948232704

According to self-determination theory, behaviors that are intrinsically motivated by something from within a student, such as interest in the subject matter, are self-determined (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012, pp. 198-199). These are the subjects in which we excel and enjoy. I can say with much certainty that my motivation to learn algebra was not self-determined. In fact, my motivation was what self-determination theory considers external regulation – knowing there are extrinsic rewards or consequences based on compliance (Schneider, et al, 2012, p. 199). This extrinsic motivation consists of doing the work for the simple reason of trying to accomplish a goal or avoid a consequence of not accomplishing the goal (Schneider, et al, 2012, p. 199). In other words, as a college-bound student, algebra was required coursework; either I took the course and eventually passed it or I could not go to college. This was not a good way to get me excited about learning.

Credit: http://www.sandraandwoo.com/

Arithmetic had always been a difficult subject for me. Add to this the stereotype of females not being good at math and the stage was set for me to struggle. Stereotype threat, the fear of not being able to perform because of an expectation about a student’s group, has been shown to adversely affect student performance (Schneider, et al, 2012, p. 205). From the first day of algebra one, not only was I intrinsically unmotivated, I was convinced that no one believed I would never be able to understand this math. My grades reflected these phenomena.

Credit: http://rockpele.com/intrinsic-motivation-examples/

Studies have found that students are more engaged – actively involved, when there are opportunities for autonomy, competence and feeling connected with significant others (Park, Holloway, Arendtsz, Bempechat & Li, 2012). Self-determination theory posits that this self-determined intrinsic motivation provides better outcomes for student learning. Yet as was the case in my algebra one experience, many times students are given little opportunity for autonomy let alone competence, especially in the primary and secondary education years. Our public education and higher education systems would do well to take notice. Students who are provided opportunities for autonomy are more actively engaged and thus likely to be more competent learners, potentially more emotionally connected to others, and less stressed (Park et al., 2012). Perhaps if we engaged all learners, the phenomenon of stereotype threat would cease to exist. Until then, I am holding out on that last math credit while I anxiously await for Penn State to add a course called College Algebra for Dummies.

 

Park, S., Holloway, S. D., Arendtsz, A., Bempechat, J., & Li, J. (2012). What makes students engaged in learning? A time-use study of within- and between-individual predictors of emotional engagement in low-performing high schools. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 41(3), 390-401. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10964-011-9738-3
Schneider, F., Gruman, J., Coutts, L. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: Sage.
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