Katy Chaffee 

Title: The Gender Gap in Intercultural Education: Language Ability and Acculturation of Male International Students.
Abstract:
Male students tend to be underrepresented in foreign language classrooms and study abroad programs. To investigate whether this difference is related to gender stereotypes regarding language, 69 male international students were randomly assigned to either stereotype threatened or unthreatened conditions. Stereotype threat led to poorer self-esteem and marginally lower scores on a language aptitude task. Students’ sense of belonging, interest in foreign languages in general, and feelings of adjustment to Canada were unaffected by the manipulation, but better adjustment was associated with higher aptitude scores, greater interest in foreign languages, and a stronger sense of belonging to language domains. Results suggest that among students who self-select to attend university abroad, language ability and adjustment to the host culture go hand-in-hand. Further research should examine the role of stereotypical gender beliefs in decisions to go abroad or study foreign languages.