The Influence of Stereotypicality on Preservice Teachers' Perceptions and Decisions About Black Girls

• In Event: 18.029 - Enacting Social Justice Practices and Knowledges in Teacher Preparation

Abstract

This study examines the role of phenotypic stereotypicality on pre-service teachers’ perceptions and classroom management decisions about Black girls using participants from the Teacher Education Program at UCLA. Participants read the same subjective disruptive classroom behavior vignette paired with a photo of white or Black girl that was manipulated based on phenotypic stereotypicality. Participants rated the girl on a number of traits, judgments about culpability, expected recidivism, and deserved classroom management. Contrary to my hypothesis, teachers viewed white girls as more disruptive, troublemaking, and hindering classroom management than low-stereotypical-Black girls. Teachers also viewed white girls as more troublemaking than high-stereotypical-Black girls. However, open-ended responses revealed more negative, blameworthy and unsupportive behavioral remarks towards high-stereotypical-Black girls.

Authors

• Terry Allen, University of California - Los Angeles

• Jamelia Nicole Harris, University of California - Los Angeles