Threatening the stereotype of adolescent immigrants. The Power of Cultural Identity

Threatening the stereotype of adolescent immigrants. The Power of Cultural Identity Dr. Hassan Assi Academic and researcher in anthropology based in Denmark Stereotyping threat is a harmful condition that can lead to impaired cognitive performance. This article links stereotyped threat to acculturation research. In many regions of the world, students from certain immigrant backgrounds perform poorly in educational settings. Students from certain immigrant backgrounds score lower on achievement tests than non-immigrant students, and leave school earlier, in both Europe and the United States. The achievement gap between immigrants is a challenge for politicians, the general public, and sociologists. Language problems and low socioeconomic status explain parts of the achievement gap, but there is still a significant disparity to be explained. Our work builds on previous research that has highlighted the impact of negative achievement-related stereotypes on the performance of minority students.