Monthly Archives: October 2021

A Stereotype Threat Account of Boys’ Academic Underachievement

By Bonny L. Hartley

Three studies examined the role of stereotype threat in boys’ academic underachievement. Study 1 (children aged 4–10, =238) showed that girls from age 4 years and boys from age 7 years believed, and thought adults believed, that boys are academically inferior to girls. Study 2 manipulated stereotype threat, informing children aged 7–8 years (=162) that boys tend to do worse than girls at school. This manipulation hindered boys’ performance on a reading, writing, and math test, but did not affect girls’ performance. Study 3 counteracted stereotype threat, informing children aged 6–9 years (=184) that boys and girls were expected to perform similarly. This improved the performance of boys and did not affect that of girls.

Read more: Hartley, B. L., & Sutton, R. M. (2013). A stereotype threat account of boys’ academic underachievement. Child development84(5), 1716-1733. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12079