Toward inclusive excellence: Reducing stereotype threat and other barriers in the graduate level...
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Toward inclusive excellence: Reducing stereotype threat and other barriers in the graduate level introductory basic science course Nancy C. Tkacs, PhD, RN Associate Professor of Nursing Assistant Dean for Diversity and Cultural Affairs University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
Toward inclusive excellence: Reducing stereotype threat and other barriers in the graduate level introductory basic science course Nancy C. Tkacs, PhD,
Toward inclusive excellence: Reducing stereotype threat and
other barriers in the graduate level introductory basic science
course Nancy C. Tkacs, PhD, RN Associate Professor of Nursing
Assistant Dean for Diversity and Cultural Affairs University of
Pennsylvania School of Nursing
Slide 2
Why is it important to be aware of stereotype threat and other
barriers? Consideration of barriers to high performance of at-risk
students (racial and ethnic minorities, first-generation students,
students with highest financial aid needs) is imperative when
shaping introductory level courses In college, poor performance in
the first year can lead students to change majors away from STEM
fields and may even lead to attrition
Slide 3
Institute of Medicine, 2004
Slide 4
The importance of increasing healthcare workforce diversity
National lack of improvement in key health indicators, including
healthcare access and care of chronic disease, requires study by
diverse multidisciplinary and interprofessional teams Having more
diverse healthcare providers is thought to reduce health
disparities Increasing access to careers in health care,
particularly in the healthcare professions (physicians, nurses and
nurse practitioners, pharmacists, etc), can reduce income
inequality
Slide 5
An unholy trinity of disparities Health EconomicEducation
Inextricably linked phenomena in at- risk populations: Health
disparities Gaps in educational attainment Income inequality
Slide 6
Example: National Healthcare Disparities Report 2010 Diabetes
care efficiency Care = HbA1c + eye exam + foot exam
Slide 7
Diabetes care efficiency (contd)
Slide 8
Introductory basic science courses in the health professions
curriculum Graduate school in the health professions often begins
with a series of basic science courses (biochemistry, physiology,
neuroscience, microbiology, etc.) In Penn School of Nursing,
students in adult APRN programs (nurse anesthesia, nurse midwifery,
nurse practitioner) begin with Advanced Physiology and
Pathophysiology A weed-out course??! A single course with an
extremely heterogeneous group of students based on prior science
coursework, age, race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and
number of years since previous degree Students may feel
threatened/intimidated based on their prior science course
experiences, their age, and other characteristics, including race
and ethnicity
Slide 9
Stereotype threat The concept of stereotype threat posits that
environmental cues remind an individual of negative stereotypes
associated with their group status. These reminders then trigger
anxiety, negative reactions, and can lead to lower performance on a
variety of tests. Steele, C.M. & Aronson, J. (1995) Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology 69:797-811.
Slide 10
Consequences of stereotype threat Stereotype threat has been
implicated in gaps in test performance between racial and ethnic
minority students versus majority students. Similar gaps are seen
in the performance of women and minorities vs white males in STEM
fields.
Slide 11
www.ReducingStereotypeThreat.org: Strategies Reframing the task
Modify task descriptions to be gender- and race- neutral Explicitly
state that the task (such as a test) is sex-fair or race-fair How
can we introduce our tests in a way that reduces anxiety? Faculty
set the tone! What is the history have course tests been perceived
as tough but fair?
Slide 12
Standardized test scores improve when questions about ethnicity
and gender are moved to the END of the test Contextual cues
reminding female undergraduates of their status as college students
(a group that is expected to do well in math) eliminates gender-
based stereotype threat How can schools and individual faculty
members promote an inclusive culture such that ALL students feel a
part of the whole, rather than feeling that they dont belong?
Deemphasizing threatened social identities
Slide 13
Encouraging self-affirmation
Slide 14
The power of affirmation thats when I get to wondering, what
would happen if I told her she something good, ever day? I hold her
tight, whisper, You a smart girl. You a kind girl, Mae Mobley. You
hear me? And I keep saying it till she repeat it back to me.
Aibileen, in The Help
Slide 15
Self-affirmation classroom exercises Recall of key values and
writing them down with a brief description Encourage students to
recall their own characteristics, skills, values, or roles that
they view as important.
Slide 16
Emphasizing high standards with assurances about capability for
meeting them This bears repeating: During the introduction to the
course During lectures and review sessions When meeting with
students for office hours After a poor test performance What about
before the course starts? What message is the office of student
services giving? What about program directors or those leading
orientation?
Slide 17
Providing role models women performed more poorly than men when
a math test was administered by a man but equivalently when the
test was administered by a woman with high competence in math Black
individuals were less aware of stereotype threat and less affected
by it in terms of test performance when the administrator was also
Black.
Slide 18
Providing external attributions for difficulty Giving
explanations why anxiety is occurring without validating the
stereotype Transitions can be very difficult, but the challenge
decreases as with increased time to adjust (can we authentically
tell students that it gets better?) Telling students about
stereotype threat the anxiety they may feel has no bearing on their
ability to do well on the test
Slide 19
Emphasizing an incremental view of intelligence How do we think
of intelligence or ability? How much is responsive to effort and
studying? Performance improved under conditions presenting
intelligence as a muscle that grows stronger with practice (an
incremental view), rather than as a fixed attribute Encouragement
to increase effort, rewarding motivation, and de-emphasizing talent
or genius produced better results
Slide 20
How do we assess the classroom climate for diversity? Checking
in with students Anonymous evaluations Quality circles Check in
during face-to-face meetings Peer evaluations of our classroom
presence and teaching style
Slide 21
Summary Why we think about this: Because helping ALL students
succeed in health care programs will increase diversity in the
health professions, thus improving care, reducing disparities, and
producing role models for the next generation What to remember:
Students who are at risk may struggle in early basic science
courses What to strive for: Faculty who recognize barriers to
success and actively work to overcome them can be part of the
solution, rather than perpetuating the problem