Begley,S. (2009, January) An 'Obama Effect' on Blacks' Test Scores. Retrieved October 12, 2009, from http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/labnotes/archive/2009/01/23/an-obama-effect-on-blacks-test-scores.aspx
The Obama effect on African American students suggests that the stereotype threat was lowered after the nomination and election of Obama. Ray Friedman of Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management thinks that Obama will do more for black scholastic achievement than anything since Brown v. Board of Education.
The study tested at four times in 2008 ( in August just before the Democratic Convention; just after Obama accepted the nomination; in early October; and again right after Obama was elected), the study asked around 102 college students to take an online test of 20 questions from the Graduate Record Exams (GREs). (Over the four periods of the test, 84 black students and 388 white students that were matched for education levels participated.) The students were told the test was made up by the Massachusetts Aptitude Assessment Center, and is being used to assess verbal problem solving skills. The test was meant to activate the black stereotype that blacks do not perform as well as whites on aptitude tests. The students were also asked to indentify their race before taking the test as to activate the stereotype threat.
Before the convention and in early October the score gaps were as wide as ever; white students did better than black students. However, just after the conventions speech by Obama and after Election Day the scores became statistically equal. The rise in scores is attributed to Obama breaking the stereotypical mold.
This rise in test scores only happened with students that watched the acceptance speech then it vanished. The black students that did not watch the speech scores were same; they never did score as well as the white students. However, Joshua Aronson of New York University, one of the researchers on the stereotype thought the study made some sense. According to Aronson studies have shown even a small intervention like Obama’s Denver speech can help with the stereotype threat. Then there is the possibility the students who chose to watch Obama and who chose to be the study are the type of people who would find Obama inspiring and that their test scores would get a boost from thinking about his accomplishments.
Many of the experts have the same idea as Aronson’s that the Obama effect will only inspire a sub-population of African Americans. More experiments are needed. However the idea that Obama could inspire the next generation is fascinating
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That is a very fascinating study and it will be interesting to watch to see how it develops. It is sad to think in our society today how limited certain groups are in acheivements due to stereotyping. Amazing, and yet sad, to see how effected a person can be just by seeing someone else from their percieved group accomplishing something.
ReplyDeleteIt is surprising to me that an effect was shown so early on after the election. It's too bad it didn't really last. I wonder, could an African-American who doesn't agree with Obama's political stance find identity with Obama? Would it be enough to aid in diminishing the stereotype threat? I think that maybe the more exposure Obama gets in the media, the less racial stereotype threats will have an effect.
ReplyDeleteI think the most interesting question concerning the whole situation is whether the notion that which people chose to watch the Obama speech were the type of individuals that would be inspired by such a speech, hence the change in test scores. I'm interested to see more information on this.
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