Dr. Erik M. Hines
In our personal and professional experiences, we have witnessed Black students being under-minded when it comes to their intelligence. Microaggressions run rampant in far too many academic settings. ‘Ascription of intelligence’ stands out for us as the most discouraging microaggression that Black males and females contend with: “You’re not STEM qualified; consider another major”. “Are you sure you want to take chemistry? It’s pretty hard.” The second comment may seem altruistic to some readers, but we beg to differ. Even adults would be discouraged, lose confidence, and feel helpless when told that work is ‘hard’. In such instances, imposter syndrome can be triggered. Black students who come to school eager to learn become turned off; those who come to school unsure about learning become more uncertain. In other cases, low achievement and underachievement kick in. As I (Ford) state often, ‘underachievement is learned… and underachievement can be unlearned.’ The notion of imposter syndrome is certainly relevant.
Imposter Syndrome
In ‘Imposter Syndrome: Exploring Challenges Faced by Black Students in STEM Academic Programs’, Stewart stated that “Black students experiencing imposter syndrome often doubt their competence despite their accomplishments, and this self-doubt can result in a constant fear of failure, which can limit their willingness to take on additional challenges or pursue higher-level opportunities”. Educators must also stop comparing students from different backgrounds. As Grabmeier states based on a new study: “The goal for young STEM students is to believe you work hard - but don’t compare how hard you work with others in your class”.
To combat imposter syndrome and promote what we call ‘racialized agency’, we discuss The Prove Them Wrong Syndrome.
Dr. Donna Y. Ford
Readers are likely familiar with Bandura’s self-efficacy theory which we are fans of. As Artino noted, “Bandura hypothesized that self-efficacy affects an individual’s choice of activities, effort, and persistence. People who have low self-efficacy for accomplishing a specific task may avoid it, while those who believe they are capable are more likely to participate.” The need is urgent, dire, for educators to promote racialized agency in Black males and females from the time they enter school. When students have agency, there is likely to be a ‘prove them wrong’ attitude and philosophy. Black students will be committed to making themselves proud - a ‘prove themselves right’ attitude and philosophy. Self-efficacy (agency) grounded in racial pride serves as a buffer/protective factor and, thereby, promotes STEM identity and achievement. We define racial pride as having high and positive levels of racial pride, such as ‘internalization’, in Cross’ Nigrescence Theory. Racial pride and academic/STEM agency empower Black females and males to brush off naysayers and keep believing, dreaming, and persevering. Below, we go deeper and provide recommendations.
Recommendations
- REPRESENTATION MATTERS. Black educators and K-12 and stakeholders in higher education (e.g., faculty, staff, and administrators) are highly underrepresented, which is a crisis. Some graduate without ever having a teacher who matches their demographics. To state the obvious, it is vital that administrators recruit and retain more Black STEM professionals in STEM and in the curriculum, particularly math and sciences courses in K-12 and in STEM majors. Then Black students can aspire to become STEM professionals.
- CURRICULUM MODIFICATIONS. Courses must include Black males and females experiencing success in STEM. Case studies, biographies, movies, and books about Black males and females overcoming challenges and succeeding in STEM are fundamental resources to use in lesson plans. With this in mind, we recently wrote about young minoritized STEM trailblazers. Older achievers (i.e., adults) are undeniably important, but we wanted to center on students in K-12 settings defying odds to excel to motivate young minoritized students. Further, we highly recommend the use of multicultural curriculum, especially using Banks’ seminal ‘Four Levels of Multicultural Infusion’ model. The highest two are the goal: (a) transformation level and (b) social action level. Students become critical thinkers and problem solvers, respectively. The other two (contributions and additive levels) must be avoided as they promote and/or reinforce miseducation - stereotypes and biases.
- TALENT DEVELOPMENT PHILOSOPHY. In 1993, the federal government issued what we consider the most equitable and culturally responsive definition for advanced learners. It is the first to also promote talent development and potential, to not use the term gifted, and recognize that children must be compared to those from similar backgrounds and experiences (e.g., race, language, culture, income, region).
Children and youth with outstanding talent perform or show the potential for performing at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared with others of their age, experience, or environment. These children and youth exhibit high performance capability in intellectual, creative, and/or artistic areas, possess an unusual leadership capacity, or excel in specific academic fields. They require services or activities not ordinarily provided by the schools. Outstanding talents are present in children and youth from all cultural groups, across all economic strata, and in all areas of human endeavor.
- EXPERIENCES MATTER. Field experiences, such as shadowing and independent studies, can be instrumental in building efficacy among students. Students get early experiences facing challenges, and strategies for dealing with them. We concur with Stewart: “Black students often need help in understanding that mistakes and setbacks are essential for growth and should be seen as learning opportunities rather than failure.”
- MENTORING MATTERS. When Black females and males are assigned to mentors, they get priceless opportunities to hear about challenges, stories of resilience - a successful Black STEM professional. The American Psychological Association (APA) provides a useful guide on mentoring, noting that mentors “may be in positions of authority to evaluate the career progress of the mentee or to provide resources and experiences that enhance the mentee's development.” We believe that when Black students understand stereotypes and racism, they are enabled to find better ways to persist and reject them. Thomas, Gale, & Rowley recently provided evidence on the significance of mentoring in the context of racism in school settings in ‘The Buffer Zone: Mentoring as Protective from School-Based Racism among African American Boys’.
- EXPECTATIONS and BELIEF in STUDENTS. Educators MUST believe that Black students have the ability to persist and be successful in STEM. Decades of research have focused on TESA - teacher expectation and student achievement
● TESA is based on the belief that the surest way to create change is to change ourselves. This means seeking all opportunities to become anti-racist and culturally competent.
● TESA is structured to increase teacher awareness of their perceptions and how their perceptions of both high and low achieving students affect their expectations of them. We must be mindful of why students are under-performing, which calls for compassionate pedagogy, as we discuss here; and
● TESA is concerned not just with the quantity of interactions, but also with the quality of interactions Thus, it is important to work diligently to increase a sense of belonging among Black students. They must know that they do, indeed, belong in STEM classes and majors.
- FAMILY-SCHOOL COLLABORATION MATTERS. There is no question that families play a fundamental role in promoting their children’s academic, socio-emotional, and psychological well-being. However, they are not formally trained to do so. It is often intuitive. Clearly, collaborating with education professionals is ideal to round out the adults that Black females and males need in their lives to cope with racial discrimination in and outside of school, to develop their self-perception and promote school success. Working with Black and anti-racist, culturally competent educators is a win for families and students. Formal policies and strategies must be in operation in schools to build home-school collaborations.
- SCHOOL COUNSELORS MATTER. School counselors are the linchpin for students identifying postsecondary opportunities in STEM. Teachers and administrators must join forces with them to improve Black student achievement and overall well-being. School counselors are trained to assist students with identifying classes, careers, and majors of interest. School counselors can provide individual and group counseling or classroom guidance lessons on matching the courses needed for STEM careers and explain the “why” in which they are needed to be successful. Also, school counselors can work with Black students on not just self-concept, self-efficacy, but also racial identity, using activities and strategies that endorse internalized racial identity.
A FInal Word and Clarion Message
We are deeply troubled by the thousands upon thousands of Black boys and girls who are denied access to advanced coursework and majors in order to develop their STEM talent, potential, and ability. Racialized agency must be developed and nurtured. Underachievement is learned and can be - must be - unlearned. As the United Negro Fund compelling states: “A mind is a terrible thing to waste”. We contend that ‘a Black STEM mind is a terrible thing to erase’.
