Another Look at the Dissemination of Racial Identity Interactional Model in a Cultural-

Based Service-Learning Course

Lori Simons, Lawrence Fehr, Nancy Blank, Kevin Barnes, Denise Georganas, & George Manapuram

Widener University

International Research Conference on Service-Learning and Community Engagement

2

Cultural-Based Service-Learning (CBSL)

Research Questions

1. Do students reformulate their racial attitudes and acquire multicultural skills through participation in cultural-based service-learning (CBSL) by the end of the term?

2. What and how do students learn through participation in CBSL?

3. How consistent are the qualitative and quantitative findings? Do these findings help us understand the impact of CBSL on student attitude-formation and skill-development from a racial identity interaction paradigm?

Service Context

4

5

Multicultural Psychology Course

• Service Context

• Guest Speakers• Service-Learning

orientation and training by guest speakers.

• 15 hours of mentoring/ tutoring or working with High School students on their research papers and oral presentations for the senior project graduation requirement.

Course Content and Service Context

6

• Course Content• The Psychology of Prejudice (Nelson, 2006)• White Privilege (Rothenberg, 2008)• Why Are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the

Cafeteria (Tatum, 1997)• Experiential activities, talking circles, and video-clips

• Academic Components • Multicultural observation paper• Multicultural movie review• Intercultural interview• Structured reflections

Course Content

Participants (n = 54)• Mean Age: 20.01 years• Gender:

• 76% Females, 24% Males• Ethnicity:

• 73% White• 23% African-American• 2% Latino• 2% Asian American

• Year in School• 2% Freshmen• 43% Sophomores• 35% Juniors• 20% Seniors

• Mean GPA: 3.06

• Majors:• 72% Psychology• 5% Social Science• 15% Nursing• 4% Social Work• 2% Business• 2% English

• Service Placement:• 83% Elementary School• 17% High School

• Mean Service Hrs.: 15.39• 48% Continued participation• 40% Maintained contact• 57% Future service

Research Methods

Quantitative Measures

1. Demographic Questionnaire

2. Civic Attitudes and Skills Questionnaire (CASQ) (Moely et al., 2002)

3. Color-Blind Racial Attitudes (CoBRAS) (Neville et al., 2000)

4. Multicultural Awareness-Knowledge-Skills Survey (MAKSS) (D’Andrea et al., 1991)

5. Multicultural Counseling Inventory (MCI-Educators) (Sodowsky et al., 1994)

6. Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) (Phinney, 1992)

7. Pro-Black/Anti-Black Scale (Katz & Hass, 1998)

Qualitative Measures

1. Daily journals guided by structured reflection questions before, during, and after service

2. White Racial Identity Attitude Scale (WRIAS) and Black Racial Identity Attitude Scale (BRIAS) (Helms & Carter, 1991)

3. Focus groups

4. Multicultural Environmental Inventory (MEI) (Pope-Davis et al., 2000)

CBSL Outcomes

***

CBSL Outcomes

***

***p<.001.

CBSL Outcomes

***p<.001, *p<.05.

CBSL Outcomes

**

**p<.01

CBSL Outcomes

CBCL Outcomes

Racial Identity Interaction Development Paradigm

16

CBSL Outcomes1. Contact Status : Almost all (95%) students began the course with resistance and fear, and 88% of them had preconceived notions about working with diverse recipients in an urban neighborhood.

“Not only was I afraid to discuss racism and sexism in class because they are controversial topics and I did not want to offend anyone, but I was concerned about working in the City since I was told not to venture very far off campus. After I participated in service and was the only White person in the classroom, I realized that my fears were associated with my stereotypes and if I did not engage in class discussions aboutthem then my attitudes would interfere with my work with the children.”

CBSL Outcomes2. Disintegration Status: All (100%) students described their initial visits at the placement as a culture-shock or eye-opening experience. Almost all students described how applying the service context to diversity content made them aware of racialdifferences (86%) and racial privilege (93%) in their early entries.

“After reading the ‘White Privilege’ assignment in the Rothenberg

text and reflecting on my service experiences, I felt sick to mystomach because I realized I was overextending myself to the White children at the placement. I learned that my behavior is a result from my racial privilege. I never thought about race and its implications until this class. I think this is something that most White people do not think about.”

18

3. Reintegration Stage. Most students described a wide range of emotions ranging from shame and guilt to sadness and anger in their descriptions of their relationships with recipients. In fact, they reported how their interactions with recipients contributed to their comprehension of White (96%) or socio-economic (87%) privilege beyond racial privilege awareness in their middle entries.

“Although I learned about racial and social injustices in class, Idid not comprehend it until I saw it firsthand at the placement. I gained a better understanding about how the school system operates and attribute the lack of enforcement of policies and the limited supplies to racial and socioeconomic privileges. The way this school operates and its lack of textbooks and outdated computers would never have been tolerated in my White, middle-class, suburban school.”

CBSL Outcomes

19

4. Pseudo-independence Stage: Most students provided examples of racial tolerance (86%) and prejudice reduction (82%)to illustrate how the course and service experiences contributed to the development of new racial attitudes (88%) in their middle entries.

“I forged relationships with the children with whom I was paired to work at the placement even though I was offended when they asked me if I was White because of the way I spoke and dressed. My initial impression was to get this assignment over as soon as possible. However, through my relationships with them, I learned that their perceptions of me were a result from racial, economic, and educational inequities in this community. I plan to continue to work with the children beyond the course because I know I can make a difference.”

CBSL Outcomes

20

CBSL Outcomes

5. Immersion-Emersion Stage: Few students described discomfort or resistance in their late-occurring reflections of adopting a Person of Color (79%), steps to confront racism on campus (86%), or ways to serve as an ally (79%). Most students described a deeper understanding of racism (89%) and the ways in which privilege contributes to oppression (79%) in their late entries.

“The best way to learn about diversity is to experience it. I never

experienced racial or educational oppression because of theprivileges associated with my White, middle-class background. The service experience not only made me aware of my ‘isms’but it humanized the diversity content. For example, I learned that if I remain colorblind then I am contributing to the

ignorance that promotes racism.”

21

6. Autonomy Stage: All (100%) students described how their fears about discussing racial issues in class had diminished, and almost all (97%) students provided examples about how the course taught them about themselves. Most (82%) White students learned to view themselves as racial beings and to understand their Whiteness and the privileges it affords them. Students alsodescribed the acquisition of multicultural awareness (98%), attitudes (89%), knowledge (100%), and skills (96%) in their final entries.

“I was afraid to ‘cross the bridge’ to go from the University into the City because of the stereotypes I heard from parents and peers. I learned that by not speaking up when someone is stereotyping is just as bad as the person speaking. I am no longer afraid to confront people who stereotype, nor am I afraid to cross the bridge.”

CBSL Outcomes

CBSL Outcomes

CBSL Outcomes

24

1. Student reflections illustrate their acquisition of multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills through their own racial identity development over the semester.

2. White students transform their colorblind views to a less, racist perspective in which they embrace their Whiteness, recognize the connection between oppression and privilege, and engage in activities that promote fairness and justice.

3. Students develop a greater interest in working with and a deeper understanding of the hardships facing culturally-diverse recipients, as well as they become less prejudiced and more aware of racial privilege, racism, and institutional discrimination through participation in CBSL by the end of the term.

Discussion

Limitations

26

Discussion

27

Conclusion

28

Questions