Developing Racial Consciousness for White Faculty: Pedagogical Transformation and Faculty Development for Inclusive Higher Education

• In Event: Transforming Higher Education: Confronting Whiteness and Building Inclusive Praxis across Generations

Abstract

This paper explores how white faculty in higher education navigate their own racial consciousness and how this awareness informs their pedagogical practices. Utilizing Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) of faculty narratives, this study reveals that faculty who actively engage with their racial identity and privilege often experience discomfort, resistance, and transformation in their teaching. However, institutional barriers such as lack of faculty training, DEI support, and organizational resistance often hinder sustained change. Using Transformative Learning Theory (Mezirow, 1991) and the White Racial Consciousness Model (Rowe et al., 1994) as theoretical lenses, this paper argues that faculty development initiatives must move beyond surface-level commitments to racial equity and instead cultivate long-term structures for faculty to engage in critical self-reflection, racial literacy, and anti-racist pedagogical shifts. This work contributes to the broader discussion of educational justice by highlighting the need for structural investments in faculty development that support ongoing racial consciousness and pedagogical change.

Author

• David E Houle, Antioch University