Why is Their Desk Outside The Classroom? :Teacher Perceptions and Implicit Bias toward Black Students with EBD

• In Event: AERA Research in Progress Roundtable Session One
  In Invited Roundtable: Research-in-Progress RT044 (Wednesday)

Abstract

This study explores how teacher implicit bias may influence decisions regarding discipline and intervention for students showing behaviors linked to Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD), with attention to racial disparities. Using a within-subjects design, ten K–12 student teachers will participate in a three-phase study. In Phase One, they evaluate a case study of a White student with EBD traits. Phase Two includes four randomized distractor case studies. In Phase Three, participants revisit the same original case, now portraying the student as Black. By comparing responses across identical cases with different racial identifiers, the study aims to assess the impact of race on teacher judgment. Findings may inform anti-bias training, culturally responsive practices, and equitable special education and disciplinary policies.

Author

• Master Brown, Pennsylvania State University