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

The study could not compare baseline math ability between DHH and hearing students because hearing students' entry scores were not available, so it is unclear how much of the performance gap is due to prior preparation versus threat effects. Stereotype threat effects have been difficult to replicate in other populations (e.g., hearing women), so these findings should be treated with caution. The sample size for ethnicity and race analyses was insufficient to draw firm conclusions about those subgroups, making those findings exploratory. Participants were enrolled in 4-year bachelor's programs, so results may not generalize to DHH students in 2-year associate degree programs or those with lower baseline math preparation.

Funded by the National Science Foundation and Rochester Institute of Technology. No conflicts of interest declared.

Do not conclude that stereotype threat is the primary cause of math gaps between DHH and hearing students. The study shows that while threat instructions worsen DHH performance, DHH students still performed below hearing peers even without threat, indicating that other factors like prior educational preparation are significant contributors.