Examining the Mirror Effect: Culturally Relevant Images in a Testing Environment.

Guided by the concept of culturally relevant pedagogy, this study explored whether exposure to racially salient images effected test performance, stereotype-threat and anxiety among Black collegians. Students completed an excerpt of an SAT test prep, and measures of anxiety and stereotype threat. Those in the experimental condition were exposed to racially salient images (termed "Mirror Artifacts") on their test forms and those in the control condition were not exposed to any images. Data was analyzed using independent samples t-tests. Results indicated that those in the experimental condition had lower levels of anxiety and stereotype threat than those in the control condition. It is recommended that racially salient images be displayed as a simple and cost-effective way to effect student non-cognitive outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]