Semester

Fall

Date of Graduation

2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

PhD

College

College of Business and Economics

Department

Management

Committee Chair

James Field

Committee Co-Chair

Nancy McIntyre

Committee Member

Kayla Follmer

Committee Member

Xiaoxiao Hu

Committee Member

Kristen Jones

Abstract

An estimated 67.3 million people are nonnative English speakers in the U.S. Research has shown that nonnative English speakers are often perceived to be less competent in communication, less intelligent, and less reliable in English-speaking environments, regardless of their actual capability. Given that English is a common tool for business communication, the nonnative English speaker stigma is likely to be particularly salient in the workplace. For example, empirical research evidence has shown that nonnative English speakers are less likely to be hired or promoted to managerial positions and are more likely to fail to receive funding for their business due to the stigma. More importantly, even without actual discrimination, nonnative English speakers tend to be afraid of stigmatization and unfair judgements based on their nonnative English speaker identity. Scholars have shown that being in a situation where one is afraid of stigmatization leads to the experience of stereotype threat - a situational threat that arises when stigmatized individuals are afraid of being seen through a lens of negative stereotypes attached to their identity. Since Steele and Aronson’s (1995) seminal work, numerous lab experiments have examined how stereotype threat hinders stigmatized individuals’ immediate task performance. However, the effects of stereotype threat in organizational settings are still relatively understudied and thus, not well understood. As such, the primary purpose of the current study is to explore how nonnative English speakers’ daily experience of stereotype threat at work is directly and indirectly related to their job performance and psychological well-being. To achieve this goal, an experience sampling study of 86 full-time working nonnative English speakers in the U.S. across 10 consecutive workdays was conducted. Results of the current study suggest that the effect of stereotype threat in organizational settings may be different from what the accumulated evidence suggests in the current literature on stereotype threat. Given that stereotype threat literature is primarily built on lab experiments focusing on its effect on task performance, the current research’s daily-level examination in a non-experimental setting contributes to capturing a more precise effect of stereotype threat and a better understanding of the phenomenon.

Embargo Reason

Publication Pending

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