Wilson has researched why African-American youngsters score lower on Intelligence tests than Caucasians. Since my school job was to give IQ testing, I was fascinated by his research. He confirmed there is no innate difference. He touched on the usual reason given for the lower scores of non-white students. They include poverty, prenatal exposure to drugs and alcohol, malnutrition, and lack of stimulation in low-income families. Furthermore, low-income students lack mentors, enrichment camps, and high verbal stimulating parents.
But here was the surprise for me. Non-white students often suffer from” stereotype threat” which occurs when they feel they are at risk of confirming a negative stereotype about the group to which they belong. Here’s how it works. If you tell an African-American student you are giving them an IQ test, they have been told repeatedly that they will score lower than other students. This stereotype becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy that actually causes them to tense up and do worse than what their true ability level would allow.
Wilson recommends countering this problem by getting African-American students to do a story-editing approach that will change the narrative about why they are having difficulties with things like IQ tests. Wilson had African-American students do a self-affirmation writing exercise and was amazed to find those students achieved significantly higher grades over the next two years compared to the control group.
So our task as mentor is clear. We need to help our student develop a positive self narrative and watch their self-esteem and success soar.