Abstract:
Boys in choirs often seem to be reluctant to perform in front of their peers. On the other hand, girls who sing in choirs have quite a contrasting experience. This study explored whether gender stereotype threat contributes to boy choristers’ performance decrement, whether stereotype threat can be experienced implicitly, and whether there are common attributes amongst boy choristers which may moderate its effects. Results from measurements of observed performance quality were analysed in order to investigate differences between performances in two different conditions (where stereotype threat was made salient, and where it was not made salient) for both boys and girls. A pattern of performance decrement for the boy choristers was found to be consistent with that expected, and this was supported by data from focus group interviews. As well, the focus group data shed light on the implicit experience of stereotype threat, and common attributes which might moderate its effect. The findings are discussed in terms of their contribution to the study of how stereotype threat is experienced, both theoretically and practically.
