Researchers from the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and the University of Rochester are examining whether members of a social group are adversely affected by the negative stereotypes or opinions others have about their ability to succeed in a certain discipline.
NTID was awarded a three-year, $534,204 grant from the National Science Foundation with a collaborative sub-award to the University of Rochester to determine if stereotypes affect the way deaf and hard-of-hearing students perform in mathematics.
“Research shows that stereotype threat effects can be lessened or resolved through intervention,” Kelly said. “The goal of our grant research is to explore the existence of stereotypes about deaf and hard-of-hearing students’ mathematical abilities and the extent to which their testing performance is affected by stereotype threat.”
While similar studies have been conducted nationwide with other groups, this is the first study to examine stereotype threat effects in deaf students, Kelly said.
The project will be conducted within the NTID REACH Center for Studies on Career Success in Rosica Hall, the NTID Deaf Studies Laboratory, and the University of Rochester social psychology laboratory.
Source: Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)
