What Role Does Cultural Background Play in Talent Development?

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What Role Does Cultural Background Play in Talent
Development?

• Frank C. Worrell, Ph.D.
• University of California
• Berkeley
• frankc_at_berkeley.edu

2
Overview

• Personal versus Social Identities
• Identity-Based Theoretical Frameworks Related to
  Academic Achievement
• Cultural ecological theory
• Stereotype threat
• Identity Profiles
• Race-based rejection sensitivity
• Responses of Different Cultural Groups to
  Feedback
• Nature of Feedback Given to Different Cultural
  Groups

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Types of Identity

• Personal Identity (individuality, personality)
• Who am I?
• Extraverted, intelligent, motivated, etc.
• Social Identity (Reference Group Orientation or
  Identification)
• To what group or groups do I belong?
• Does group membership affect how society views
  and values me?

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• Personal Identities
• Self-concept/Self-esteem
• Intelligence
• Personality
• Motivation
• Self-efficacy
• Self-regulation

• Social Identities
• Ethnic and/or racial group
• First language
• Gender
• Country of origin
• Sexual orientation
• Socioeconomic Status

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Personal Social

• Both personal and social identity are shaped by
  our environment.
• Links between personal and social identity (e.g.,
  achievement possibilities) are determined, in
  part, by what others communicate to us.
• Minority group members actively interpret and
  respond to their situation.

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CET Framework

• How did group become member of society?
• Voluntary versus involuntary
• How does mainstream society treat group members
  (SYSTEM)?
• Included, valued, traditions recognized and
  honored or excluded, devalued, denigrated, and
  discriminated against
• How do group members respond to mainstream
  society (INDIVIDUAL sociocultural adaptations)?
• Is relationship with society positive, neutral,
  or oppositional?

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Cultural Models of Voluntary vs Involuntary Groups

• Positive vs. negative dual frame of reference.
• Effort-based vs. ambivalent folk theory of making
  it.
• Acculturated vs. rebels as role models
• Pragmatic trust vs distrust of White
  institutions.
• Additive vs subtractive interpretation of
  cultural mores.
• Unequivocal vs. ambivalent/negative/oppositional
  attitudes to schooling.

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Oppositional Identity

• Those individuals who take an oppositional stance
  often engage in actions (low effort) incompatible
  with educational success
• They do not trust schools or believe that
  education will result in the same payoffs as it
  does for others.
• They see doing well in school as acting White or
  betraying their cultural heritage (I can, but do
  I want to Graham, 2004).
• Parents with these beliefs give mixed messages
  about benefits of education.

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Support for CET

• Large literature on cultural mistrust (including
  students, parents).
• Gardner-Kitts (2005) study of racial identity
  attitudes.
• Fords (2005) study on acting White and acting
  Black.

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Descriptors of acting White and acting Black

• Acting White
• Intelligent
• Achievement-oriented
• Speaking standard English
• Having White friends
• Being uppity, stuck-up

• Acting Black
• Acting ghetto
• Being dumb, stupid
• Speaking non-standard English
• Dressing urban (e.g., sagging)

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Steeles Stereotype Threat

• Human beings classify variables and behaviors and
  develop stereotypes of individuals and groups.
• Societal stereotypes have a direct impact on
  performance, especially in situations where the
  stereotype is invoked.
• Steele has demonstrated stereotype threat in
  several studies involving college students, with
  effect sizes in the large range.

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Initial ST Manipulation

• Random assignment to three groups
• Diagnostic Treatment
• Test of verbal ability
• Non-diagnostic Control 1
• Verbal problem solving task
• Non-diagnostic Control 2
• Verbal problem solving task
• Difficult because aimed at highly verbal
  individuals

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Stereotype Threat Effect
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__ __ CE
__ __ __ ERIOR
15
__ __ CE
RACE or FACE
EXTERIOR OR INFERIOR
__ __ __ ERIOR
Rap music, basketball, being a lazy couch potato,
aggressive
Questions about activities, traits
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ST and Socioeconomic Status(Harrison et al.,
2006)
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Walton and Spencer (in press)
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Identity Profiles

• Osyerman et al. (2003) grouped 94 African
  American, Latino, American Indian students on
  the basis of racial-ethnic self-schemas
• In-group only (59) - focused on own ethnic group
  with no acknowledgement of larger society.
• Aschematic (15) - focused on self as individual
  and not as a member of a social group.
• Dual identity groups (15) - recognition of and
  pride in cultural group membership, but also
  aware of connections to the larger society.
• Dual group had higher GPAs than aschematic (d
  -.66) and in-group only (d -.76) students.

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Osyerman et al. II

• Replicated findings with experimental
  manipulation invoking stereotype in American
  Indian sample (N 65).
• Dual group persisted longer than other two groups
  on mathematics task d -1.21 -.80.
• Youth with dual schemas were less vulnerable to
  stereotype threat.

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Worrell et al. (2006)
21
Mendoza-Denton et al. (2008) Ethnic
Identification effects (a)
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Mendoza-Denton et al. (2008) Ethnic
Identification effects (b)
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Feedback and Prejudice I Cohen et al. (1999)

• Conducted an experimental study examining Black
  and White undergraduates response to criticism
• Condition 1 (unbuffered criticism) critical
  feedback of performance with no other comment.
• Condition 2 (positive buffered criticism) same
  critical feedback with general praise of
  students performance.
• Condition 3 (wise criticism) same critical
  feedback with explicit invocation of high
  standards and assurance of students ability to
  meet standards.

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Cohen et al. (1999) II

• Dependent variables included the following
• Students perceptions of bias towards them.
• Participants belief in their ability to improve
  their work and interest in doing revision.
• Feelings of identification with writing skills.

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Ratings of Bias
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Motivation and Academic Identification
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Bias and Motivation Ratings
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Feedback and Prejudice II Crosby Monin (2007)

• 172 undergraduates trained as peer academic
  advisors. Randomly assigned to give feedback to
  Black and White students on list of courses
• More likely to tell White students
• List is too hard (d .33)
• List is difficult (d .36)
• Will need help such as tutoring (d .49)
• Less time will be available for leisure (d
  -.30)
• Get a second opinion (d .43)
• More likely to refuse to approve White students
  list (d -.36)
• Difference in feedback is based on fear of being
  prejudiced.

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Sum Cultural Identity Matters

• CET suggests the development of an oppositional
  identity to school in some minority group
  members.
• ST suggests that negative stereotypes can depress
  stigmatized groups performance and enhance that
  of non-stigmatized groups.
• Identity profiles indicate that some are more
  closely associated with academic success and
  engagement.
• Identity has independent effects on institutional
  identification and academic identification.
• Negatively stereotyped groups are more likely to
  interpret unbuffered critical feedback as an
  indication of bias and lose motivation and
  academic identification.
• Individuals who are concerned about not being
  racist are likely to provide less honest feedback
  to students from negatively stereotyped groups.

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Implications for STEM Fields

• Students from negatively stereotyped groups less
  likely to think themselves able to complete STEM
  degrees.
• These students are also more likely to draw
  conclusions about bias and lack of competence in
  STEM gateway classes.
• Need for engaging students in STEM projects from
  elementary schools, with focus on low SES and
  minority districts.
• Need to have summer STEM offerings in low SES and
  minority districts.