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
