Revealing Stereotypes: Evidence from Immigrants in Schools

49 Pages Posted: 17 Dec 2018

See all articles by Alberto F. Alesina

Alberto F. Alesina

Harvard University - Department of Economics; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Michela Carlana

Harvard Kennedy School

Eliana La Ferrara

Bocconi University - Department of Economics

Paolo Pinotti

Bocconi University - BAFFI Center on International Markets, Money, and Regulation

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Abstract

If individuals become aware of their stereotypes, do they change their behavior? We study this question in the context of teachers' bias in grading immigrants and native children in middle schools. Teachers give lower grades to immigrant students compared to natives who have the same performance on standardized, blindly-graded tests. We then relate differences in grading to teachers' stereotypes, elicited through an Implicit Association Test (IAT). We find that math teachers with stronger stereotypes give lower grades to immigrants compared to natives with the same performance.Literature teachers do not differentially grade immigrants based on their own stereotypes. Finally, we share teachers' own IAT score with them, randomizing the timing of disclosure around the date on which they assign term grades. All teachers informed of their stereotypes before term grading increase grades assigned to immigrants. Revealing stereotypes may be a powerful intervention to decrease discrimination, but it may also induce a reaction from individuals who were not acting in a biased way.

Keywords: immigrants, teachers, implicit stereotypes, IAT, bias in grading

JEL Classification: I24, J15

Suggested Citation

Alesina, Alberto F. and Carlana, Michela and La Ferrara, Eliana and Pinotti, Paolo, Revealing Stereotypes: Evidence from Immigrants in Schools. IZA Discussion Paper No. 11981, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3301740 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3301740

Alberto F. Alesina (Contact Author)

Harvard University - Department of Economics ( email )

Littauer Center
Cambridge, MA 02138
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Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

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United Kingdom

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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Michela Carlana

Harvard Kennedy School ( email )

79 John F. Kennedy Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Eliana La Ferrara

Bocconi University - Department of Economics ( email )

Via Gobbi 5
Milan, 20136
Italy

Paolo Pinotti

Bocconi University - BAFFI Center on International Markets, Money, and Regulation ( email )

Milano, 20136
Italy

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