Countering Radicalisation in Classrooms: Instructional Design for the Prevention of Stereotypes and Prejudice

• In Event: Radicalisation Into Right-Wing Extremism and Multi-Agency Approaches to Counter and Prevent it

Abstract

The development of stereotypes and prejudices is an essential socio-cognitive element of right-wing radicalisation. While systematic evidence on the effectiveness of different psychological approaches and forms of educational intervention in reducing prejudice has already been presented (Beelmann & Heinemann, 2014; Beelmann & Lutterbach, 2022), there is still a lack of implementation of these findings at the level of instructional design, i.e. the systematic planning, development and evaluation of learning environments. How can these be designed in order to reduce prejudice in an evidence-based way, for example by addressing intergroup emotions, perspective-taking and empathy-building? To answer these questions, this contribution will present findings on linking psychological impact research with educational considerations. Furthermore, preliminary results from an ongoing project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research will be presented, in which innovative teaching and learning concepts are being developed to reduce prejudice and discrimination. This includes incorporating social (quasi-)experiments in the form of small-scale observational studies or surveys into the instructional design. The students themselves are the subjects of these (quasi-)experiments and subsequently analyse them and their results together with their teacher. This should contribute to a better understanding of stereotypes and prejudices as well as to their reduction.

Authors

• Tihomir Vrdoljak, German Police University

• Thomas Görgen, Deutsche Hochschule der Polizei/German Police University