Race and Conflict in Classrooms

Secondary Education Major 探索s Student Responses to Complicated Emotional Topics

Navigating conversations about race can be difficult — especially in predominantly white classrooms where many students have little experience with conversations surrounding the subject.

本·多赛特 a curriculum instruction and secondary education major, dove into a research project to investigate how middle schoolers react to information, teachers and each other when presented with historical information about race relations.

对一些学生来说, it can be a transformational experience where they learn about themselves and their experiences in the world in a different way, 以不同的眼光看待.
本多赛特
教育学生

根据 反诽谤联盟, teachers can feel uncomfortable breaching the topic of race in predominantly white classrooms because student assumptions, bias and fears can make conversations difficult to facilitate.

“Equity in education is an important thing, especially in the U.S. where we have a history of colonialism and racism. Those things need to be addressed in an educational setting,” said 多赛特.

多赛特, a 22-year-old from Bellingham, 华盛顿, became interested in the topic while taking a course from Assistant Professor 凡妮莎Anthony-Stevens in the College of Education, 健康 and Human Sciences. He teamed up with Anthony-Stevens and her research partner, North Idaho teacher Rebekka Boysen-Taylor, halfway through the first year of the project. The three work together to introduce learning material to students, document student responses and analyze their results.

The students’ reactions were surprising, 多赛特 said. 在课堂上, it was hard for him to determine if the students wanted to learn the correct terminology so they wouldn’t get in trouble or if they were genuinely interested in learning about others and examining their beliefs.

“We have students who are really focused on fitting in and others who are really focused on learning about the content,杜塞特说. 对一些学生来说, it can be a transformational experience where they learn about themselves and their experiences in the world in a different way, 以不同的眼光看待.”

多赛特 created transcripts of conversations and interviews so the team could analyze student interactions. They presented this information at the National Association for Multicultural Education Conference and will publish their work in the future.

多赛特 graduated in winter 2019 and is considering pursuing a master’s degree.

多赛特 said the most pronounced way his research has affected him is that he knows when he enters a classroom one day, he will possess the ability to have these important conversations with his students.

“I think it’s hard to be good at having these conversations, especially as a white male,杜塞特说. “It’s difficult to be the person leading that conversation, 但我一定要吃, whether it’s going to be perfect or not, whether I’m the right person for that conversation or not. 值得一做.”

Article by Alexis Van Horn, a sophomore from Poulsbo, 华盛顿, who is studying journalism.

Photos by Cody Allred, a junior from Council, who is studying public relations.

本多赛特 is an OUR Travel Grant recipient.

2020年3月出版.