Stereotype threat effects on deaf and hard-of-hearing college students’ mathematics performance

This study examined whether stereotype threat degrades deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) college students' math performance. The DHH participants self-assigned their social identity as "deaf" or "hard of hearing" irrespective of audiological assessment. Social identity is central to experiencing stereotype threat and being deaf or hard of hearing may activate negative biases which trigger a stereotype threat that impacts test performance. A sample of college students (216 deaf, 128 hard of hearing, 152 hearing) were randomly assigned to either a stereotype threat or no-threat test condition and tested on arithmetic, modular arithmetic, and quantitative Graduate Record Examination-type math problems. The deaf and hard-of-hearing participants tested under the stereotype threat condition underperformed compared to those under the no-threat condition. Further exploratory analyses demonstrated that female participants underperformed male participants and African American/Black DHH participants underperformed White DHH participants. This double-threat jeopardy finding of multiple marginalized identities is consistent with the minority stress model. Overall, results are consistent with previous research in which a social identity is linked to a negative stereotype and both the stereotype and linked identity impact performance. This study demonstrated that deaf and hard of hearing are social constructs, and the results provide empirical support for the social model of disability.