RACIAL MICROAGGRESSIONS and ACADEMIC SUCCESS

1. RACIAL MICROAGGRESSIONS and ACADEMIC SUCCESS Ethan Sanford, (ejs013@bravemail.uncp.edu) & Beverly King, PhD (kingbr@uncp.edu), Esther G. Maynor Honors College, University of North Carolina at Pembroke ABSTRACT DISCUSSION Given that the importance of racial bias has been previously discussed, it would greatly befit the needs of this literature review to discuss findings and present a few contentions. Much of the research in this field shares the viewpoint that racial microaggressions and racial bias in the classroom effects the academic success of ethnic minorities in a negative manner. For example, Johnson-Ahorlu argues that “the difference in grade performance between black and white students is not solely a reflection of individual achievement, but of differences in opportunity” (Johnson-Ahorlu, 2012, p. 635). Here the author of the article highlights the importance of recognizing that black students are not afforded the same opportunity, and this results in a success deficit. Riley and Ungerleider (2012) point out the surprising fact that white authorities spend about one-fifth as much on black students as they do on white students. Of course, discrepancies in opportunity is not the only factor contributing to the Black-White achievement gap. Teacher attributions play a large role as well. Several studies have found that many African-American students report having experienced at least some level of racial microaggressions, even in graduate programs (Clark, 2012; Johnson-Ahorlu, 2012; Sue, 2009). In relation to this, the Clark treatise (2012) found that reports of microaggressions were correlated with higher levels of emotional distress and anxiety. This, as one might assume, may result in fatigue and diminished capacity to see success in academic endeavors. Coupled with the previously mentioned lack of funding devoted to African American educational support programs results in a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure. • Classroom bias is an important topic of discussion in contemporary racial psychology. This project examines the effects of the racial bias and racial microaggressions of teachers on ethnic minority students. It also examines the success of ethnic minority students as a self-fulfilling prophecy, and whether lowered perceptions of self-worth can be negatively linked to academic success. This literature review will look at such research (while also addressing opposing research findings), and compile information about these topics. The black-white achievement gap will be examined, and solutions, compromises and implications will be discussed. The solutions will be in the context of the New Literacy Studies, which supports that literacy is a social construct. This argument is one in favor of the contention that the black-white achievement gap is the result of a self-fulfilling prophecy of negative teacher expectations and attribution. INTRODUCTION Racial bias in the classroom is a pressing issue, not simply because of the obvious social injustice, but also because teacher bias is proven to inhibit the academic success of ethnic minorities. This bias can appear in the form of implicit prejudices, microaggressions, or rarely as explicit prejudices. Research discusses the effects of these prejudices and microaggressions, which include but are not limited to lowered perceptions of self-worth, possible lowered feelings of autonomy, diminished intrinsic motivation and decreased propensity to complete one’s academic goals (Sue, 2009; Clark, 2012). The need for research in this field stems from a need for racial equality. This project willcompile research from professional psychologists, and apply those findings through the context of the New Literacy Studies, which contends that literacy is a social practice which must promote an awareness of various cultural discourses (Street, 2005; Gee, 2000). (Fig. 1) Here the Black-White salary discrepancy is displayed. This is arguably the result of a self-fulfilling prophecy of negative teacher expectations and microaggressions. SOLUTIONS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH LITERATURE REVIEW For this project, a series of 10 sources were examined. Most of the sources were in general agreement that classroom bias is a significant issue. The Whitley and Kite textbook (2010) discusses matters in a very informative way, and defines various important terms and concepts. The Sue piece (2009) and the Johnson-Ahorlu piece (2012) both used focus groups to report racial microaggressions, and approached the matter with a qualitative style. The Clark article (2012) was more quantitative in nature, and used internet based surveys to collect data. In addition to this, they reported the data in a quantitative manner. The Street (2005) and Gee (2000) pieces examined the benefits of ideological literacy, which is a form of literacy that takes into account the various social discourses encountered in various contexts. These two pieces will be used in finding solutions to the problem of racial microaggressions, and also in closing the black-white achievement gap. (Fig. 2) The above graph displays the misrepresentation of Whites and White males in managerial jobs. This is the result of an education system tailored to Whites. As Gee would contend, literacy is power (Gee 2000).