How does race play out in schools? A scoping review and thematic analysis of racial issues in Australian schools
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How does race play out in schools? A scoping review and thematic analysis of racial issues in Australian schools Hannah Yared1 · Christine Grové1 · Denise Chapman1 Received: 11 January 2020 / Accepted: 5 September 2020 © Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract Racial bias and racism present widespread challenges in educational settings. Children may experience and/or witness racial bias or racism at school and the impacts are pervasive. Despite this knowledge, there is a paucity of research examining these issues in primary school contexts. A scoping review and thematic analysis examining racial bias and racism within Australian primary school contexts yielded four salient themes (1) a lack of teacher confidence and competency regarding racial issues, (2) white normativity, (3) colour-blindness and (4) silencing. Findings suggest that students need ongoing discussions about race, racism and racial bias. However, teachers need supportive leadership and training to enact such educational conversations. This review also provides an understanding of how school contexts potentially contribute to the development of prejudicial views in children, finishing with implications for policy, practice and research to assist in building more inclusive and equitable classrooms for all students, regardless of their race or ethnicity. Keywords Racial bias · Racism · Australian primary schools · Anti-racist education · Inclusive education
1 Introduction Education is considered a key driving force toward opportunity and success. However, there is substantial evidence to indicate that various barriers exist within education that can negatively impact students from minoritised backgrounds (BodkinAndrews et al. 2010). These barriers exist at individual levels (e.g. microaggressions * Hannah Yared [email protected] Christine Grové [email protected] Denise Chapman [email protected] 1
Faculty of Education, Monash University, 29 Ancora Imparo Way, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
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or racial bias from teachers and peers), as well as at systemic levels (e.g. educational policies that disadvantage and exclude students based on their race, or Eurocentric curricula that could exclude non-white student experiences) (de Plevitz 2007; Gershenson and Papageorge 2018; Nance 2016, 2017; Osanloo et al. 2016). Understanding how these issues unfold and how to address them is complex and multifaceted. This article will explore what is currently known in the literature regarding racism and racial bias in Australian primary school settings. 1.1 Defining racial bias and racism A key barrier within education has been linked to racial bias at an individual level. Attitudes toward a particular race or ethnic group need not be consciously available in order to evoke negative evaluative reactions toward marginalised groups (Baron and Banaji 2006; Sue et al. 2007a, b). There is evidence to indicate that an individual’s explicit racial bias is substantially more egalitarian compared to their implicit
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