Factors Associated With Hierarchical Microaggression Phenomena in Higher Education Settings: A Survey of the Research

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: Validity and Assessing Survey Data in Educational Research

Abstract

This research sought to identify organizational and individual factors that are associated with hierarchical microaggression phenomena in higher education settings in a sample of 140 multiple stakeholders that included students, faculty, staff, and administrators. Significant organizational factors included limited resources, colleges or universities’ culture or tradition, and mentoring or supervising processes claimed by perpetrators who typically hold higher-ranked positions, all of which represented the Bolman and Deal’s (2013) structural, human resources, political, and symbolic frames. As individual factors, perpetrators’ personality disorder traits associated with Machiavellianism were correlated significantly with the frequency of hierarchical microaggression incidents. With respect to victims’ demographic characteristics, females and racial minority victims were more likely to experience negative consequences compared to their male and White counterparts.

Author

• Ahlam Lee, Xavier University