Teachers’ Nonverbal Behaviors Influence Children’s Stereotypic Beliefs

The current research tested whether differences in teachers’ nonverbal behaviors influence children’s intergroup attitudes and stereotypic beliefs. In this study, 5- to 8-year-old participants (N = 96) were assigned to novel groups (marked by T-shirt color) and then viewed interactions between teachers and pairs of students who were also members of the novel groups. Across four interactions, the teacher directed positive nonverbal behaviors toward students from one group and directed negative nonverbal behaviors toward students from another group. After viewing the interactions, participants were presented with pairs of new students from the two novel groups and were asked three types of test questions. When participants were asked who was smarter, they selected new students from the group that had received positive nonverbal behaviors regardless of their own group membership. However, when asked who they would like to befriend, only participants who were assigned to the group that received positive behaviors selected ingroup members. On trials where participants were asked to select a partner on an academic task, participants’ selections did not differ from chance. This study shows that teachers’ nonverbal behaviors may be one source of children’s academic stereotypes, including negative stereotypes about groups to which they belong. Moreover, these findings highlight the importance of subtle social cues in guiding children’s beliefs about social groups.

Urban Elementary Single-Sex Math Classrooms

This study utilized a mixed-methods approach to holistically examine single-sex and coeducational urban elementary mathematics classes through situated cognitive theory. Participants came from two urban low-income Midwestern elementary schools with a high representation of minority students ( n = 77 sixth graders, n = 4 teachers, n = 2 principals). Findings demonstrate that African American girls made more math achievement gains in single-sex classrooms; single-sex classrooms might mitigate math academic stereotypes for students and teachers; and that important contextual factors play a role in these outcomes. Testing these factors is a step toward delineating a theory of change for single-sex education in urban public schools.

From Alienation to Efficacy: An Examination of Racial Identity and Racial Academic Stereotypes Among Black Male Adolescents

Black male adolescents face unique barriers in schools that may contribute to racial disparities in educational outcomes. Their social-cognitive strengths, however, influence their confidence to be academically successful despite these barriers. This study explored whether racial academic stereotypes and racial centrality were associated with and predicted school efficacy among 103 urban Black male adolescents. Findings indicated that racial centrality had the strongest relationship with and was the strongest predictor of school efficacy. Youth mentoring programs and educators who work with urban Black male adolescents play a key role in promoting and shaping their efficacious beliefs toward their academic success.