Designing for Ethnocultural Empathy: Critical Literacy and Intergroup Contact in English Language Arts

• In Event: Culturally Responsive Literacy Education

Abstract

This design-based research study examined the impact of an eight-week racial and cultural intervention on 10th grade students’ levels of ethnocultural empathy. Participants (n=41) engaged in literature circles, intergroup dialogue, collaborative inquiry, perspective-taking, and on-going reflection. For their final projects, participants wrote research-based perspective pieces from the point of view of an outgroup member. Student writing was evaluated on a rubric measure of ethnocultural empathy at the beginning and end of the unit. Additionally, student reflection logs were analyzed thematically for cognitive and affective predictors of and barriers to ethnocultural empathy. The results of the quantitative analysis showed statistically significant increases in ethnocultural empathy. The qualitative findings revealed four themes that contributed to ethnocultural empathy and two that limited it

Authors

• Kanika Chopra, Rutgers University

• Angela M. O'Donnell, Rutgers University