Background
Women in mathematical domains may become attuned to situational cues that signal a discredited social identity, contributing to their lower achievement and underrepresentation.
Aim
This study examined whether heightened in-group representation alleviates the effects of stereotype threat on women's mathematical performance. It further investigated whether single-sex testing environments and stereotype threat influenced participants to believe that their ability was fixed (fixed mindset) rather than a trait that could be developed (growth mindset).
Sample and method
One hundred and forty-four female participants were assigned randomly to a self-as-target or group-as-target stereotype threat condition or to a control condition. They completed a modular arithmetic maths test and a mindset questionnaire either alone or in same-sex groups of 3–5 individuals.
Results
Participants solved fewer mathematical problems under self-as-target and group-as-target stereotype threat when they were tested alone, but these performance deficits were eliminated when they were tested in single-sex groups. Participants reported a weaker growth mindset when they were tested under stereotype threat and in single-sex groups. Moreover, evidence of inconsistent mediation indicated that single-sex testing environments negatively predicted mindset but positively predicted mathematical performance.
Conclusions
These findings suggest that single-sex testing environments may represent a practical intervention to alleviate stereotype threat effects but may have a paradoxical effect on mindset.
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Pennington, C. R. and Heim, D. (2016), Creating a critical mass eliminates the effects of stereotype threat on women's mathematical performance. Br J Educ Psychol, 86: 353–368. doi:10.1111/bjep.12110 which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bjep.12110/abstract This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.