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Black and Hispanic Immigrants' Resilience against Negative-ability Racial Stereotypes at Selective Colleges and Universities in the United States

Publication ,  Journal Article
Owens, J; Lynch, SM
Published in: Sociology of Education
2012

Stereotype threat is a widely supported theory for understanding the racial achievement gap in college grade performance. However, today's minority college students are increasingly of immigrant origins, and it is unclear whether two dispositional mechanisms that may increase susceptibility to stereotype threat are applicable to immigrants. We use survey data to examine whether and how negative-ability stereotypes affect the grades of 1,865 first-, second-, and third-generation or higher (domestic) minority students at 28 selective American colleges. Structural equation model results indicate that first-generation immigrants are highly resistant to both dispositional identity threat mechanisms we consider. Second-generation immigrants experience only certain dispositional elements of identity threat. Drawing on research in social psychology, we suggest immigrants tend to resist stereotype threat in part due to the primacy of their immigrant identities and their connectedness to the opportunity structure of mainstream society.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Sociology of Education

DOI

ISSN

0038-0407

Publication Date

2012

Volume

85

Issue

4

Start / End Page

303 / 325

Related Subject Headings

  • Sociology
  • 4410 Sociology
  • 3903 Education systems
  • 3902 Education policy, sociology and philosophy
  • 1303 Specialist Studies in Education
 

Citation

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ICMJE
MLA
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Owens, J., & Lynch, S. M. (2012). Black and Hispanic Immigrants' Resilience against Negative-ability Racial Stereotypes at Selective Colleges and Universities in the United States. Sociology of Education, 85(4), 303–325. https://doi.org/10.2307/41725490
Owens, J., and S. M. Lynch. “Black and Hispanic Immigrants' Resilience against Negative-ability Racial Stereotypes at Selective Colleges and Universities in the United States.” Sociology of Education 85, no. 4 (2012): 303–25. https://doi.org/10.2307/41725490.
Owens, J., and S. M. Lynch. “Black and Hispanic Immigrants' Resilience against Negative-ability Racial Stereotypes at Selective Colleges and Universities in the United States.” Sociology of Education, vol. 85, no. 4, 2012, pp. 303–25. Manual, doi:10.2307/41725490.
Journal cover image

Published In

Sociology of Education

DOI

ISSN

0038-0407

Publication Date

2012

Volume

85

Issue

4

Start / End Page

303 / 325

Related Subject Headings

  • Sociology
  • 4410 Sociology
  • 3903 Education systems
  • 3902 Education policy, sociology and philosophy
  • 1303 Specialist Studies in Education