Longitudinal associations between math self-concept and math Black-White stereotypes among Black adolescents.

Summary: Imagine you are a student moving from elementary to high school. You might start out feeling pretty good about your math skills. But for many Black students, this confidence drops as they get older. Researchers studied over 500 Black students from 5th grade to 12th grade. They found that students who believed in negative stereotypes—like the unfair idea that some groups are naturally better at math—lost their math confidence much faster. On the flip side, students who started out with high confidence in 7th grade were less likely to believe those harmful stereotypes later on. The takeaway? Building up a student's belief in their own math skills early on can help fight off unfair stereotypes and keep them confident all the way to graduation!