The effect of social catalytic environments on academic stigma vulnerability: The Twenty-First Century Program at the University of Michigan.

Abstract

For quite some time researchers have been examining the link between optimal functioning and social support. This paper reviews research in the area of social support formation and provides a framework for the agents that may bolster the active ingredients of the benefits of social support. These agents are called social catalysts. Limitations of social support are discussed and settings in which these agents may be useful are presented. The second section reviews some theories of the performance gap between African-American and European-American students. Evidence of the limitations of the theories are presented and a new theory is proposed which explains the performance gap in terms of the vulnerability of stigmatization that many African-American students face. The ability of social catalytic mechanisms to counter the effect of stigma vulnerability is discussed. The final sections present data from an intervention designed to test social catalytic agents in subverting the negative evaluation that some students including African-Americans face due to their racial status. 198 first year students (including 27 African-American and 136 European-American) were recruited into the 21st Century Program. This program consisted of workshops, seminars, and other features to create a socially catalytic environment which fosters achievements. At the end of the first year of the program, all students, including African and European-Americans in the 21st Century Program outperformed students in the university community. The role of school as a force against stigma is discussed.