Elementary School Students’ Learning About Economic Inequality: Insights from a Researcher-Practitioner Partnership

• In Event: 2-017 - Leveraging Community- and Practitioner-Research Partnerships to Advance Equity and Justice in Developmental Science

Integrative Statement

Children are growing up in societies marked by stark economic inequality; an increasing divide between those with access to resources and opportunities, and those without. In the U.S., economic inequality affects children in myriad ways, including influencing their developing beliefs, attitudes, and reasoning about social class and status. Indeed, evidence suggests that young children (i.e., ages 5-10), particularly from middle class and affluent backgrounds, already exhibit a preference for wealth-based status cues, and endorse stereotypic beliefs about the poor (e.g., dirty, lazy) and individualistic (vs. societal) explanations for poverty. Engaging children in meaningful and scaffolded conversations about social class differences can aid understanding about this topic and classrooms are an ideal context in which to do so. Teachers, however, report feeling hesitant discussing social class and related topics with students, and few educational materials currently exist to help them do so. To address this gap, and guided by Developmental Intergroup Theory (DIT; Bigler & Liben, 2007), the current study evaluated the efficacy of a curriculum intervention on elementary school students’ conceptions of wealth and poverty.

We used a clinical partnership model in which researchers and teachers collaborated to design, implement, and evaluate a 5-7-week inquiry-based unit focused on wealth and poverty. Inquiry aligns well with tenets of DIT; teachers informally assess students’ understanding of the topic, plan lessons according to these understandings and possible misconceptions, guide students’ thinking through questions and purposeful conversations, and work with students toward a culminating action-oriented final project. The efficacy of the intervention was evaluated using a quasi-experimental design. Across 4 participating kindergarten (5-6 year-olds) and primary grade (7-8 year-olds) classrooms, students in one classroom at each grade level were taught the inquiry unit (N=86; control: n = 44; intervention: n = 42). Participants’ were, on average, 6.81 years-old (SD = .93), mostly upper-middle class and racially/ethnically diverse.

For this presentation, we reflect upon our process of engaging in a constructive researcher-educator partnership that married developmental science and practice. First, relationships are essential and must be nurtured. The lead researcher and three demonstration teachers had a professional relationship that preceded the project’s origination. Teacher collaborators were initially approached to participate in the partnership because they had previously taught social justice units (e.g., civil rights issues) and had experience using inquiry-based instruction. Second, partners had mutual respect for each other’s expertise, a shared interest in the topic, and agreement about each partner’s contribution. Teachers selected the pedagogical practice of their choice and where to best situate the unit into their yearlong teaching plan. The research team oversaw the evaluation. Third, we worked in tandem throughout all phases of the project. Regular collaborative planning sessions included identifying shared unit goals (e.g., build empathy, empower students to make a change), discussing best practices as informed by theory and practice, planning learning experiences, sharing updates on unit progress, and an end of the unit reflection. Dissemination efforts targeted both educational and academic audiences. Finally, sustained support from other constituents – school administrators, parents – was essential to the project’s success.

Authors

• Rashmita S. Mistry, University of California, Los Angeles
  Presenting Author

• Lindsey Nenadal, UCLA, Department of Education
  Non-Presenting Author

• Katherine M Griffin, University of California, Los Angeles
  Non-Presenting Author

• Taylor Hazelbaker, UCLA
  Non-Presenting Author