Unmasking the Invisibility of Bias: Exploring Interpersonal Classroom Microaggressions in Community College Settings

• In Event: Roundtable Session 9
  In Roundtable Session: Making Bias Visible: Deconstructing Discriminatory Thinking and Practice in Education

Abstract

Microaggressions—brief, intentional or unintentional comments and/or behaviors communicating covert biases toward individuals due to their social group membership—create hostile, invalidating environments for diverse students in 4-year colleges. Microaggressions have not been explored within community college classrooms, which serve as a pipeline to 4-year colleges. This study used an innovative “real-time” observation tool to capture microaggressions in 60 classrooms across three community colleges. Results reveal that 55 microaggressions occurred across 18 of the observed classrooms. A diverse range of instructors initiated most of the microaggressions, which were demeaning to students’ intelligence, disrupted the classroom, and changed the climate. This research expands microaggression research to community college classroom environments, and exposes the interpersonal relationships between students and instructors in community college classrooms.

Authors

• Saskias Casanova, Arizona State University - Tempe

• Margary Martin, Brown University

• Carola Suarez-Orozco, University of California – Los Angeles

• Veronica Cuellar

• Naila Smith, Fordham University

• Sandra Dias, NYU

• Dalal Katsiaficas, New York University

• Alicia Ana Ayala, New York University