The Intersectional Impacts of Racial Microaggressions in High Schools: A Youth Participatory Action Research Investigation (Poster 55)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Seven
  In Poster Session: Youth Teams in Education Research Poster Session

Abstract

A growing body of research demonstrates that racial microaggressions result in negative academic and mental health outcomes for Black and Brown youth. The Youth Research Council (YRC) was founded in 2021 to gather 30-40 racially and ethnically diverse youth as co-researchers (“YRC Fellows”), alongside researchers from George Mason University (GMU), to investigate the effects of racial microaggressions on high-school-aged youth. The YRC follows a youth participatory action research (YPAR) model, beginning from the view that students’ lived experiences and local, context-based knowledge, when analyzed using systematic methods and analyses, constitute strong evidence that can be utilized for decision making. YRC Fellows identified this research topic and subsequently designed a mixed methods research plan. They engaged in qualitative research by conducting interviews with their peers (n=150) and used a storytelling technique intended to gain a sense of the nuances of individual experiences. YRC Fellows analyzed interview and storytelling data using an adapted thematic analysis approach. Findings from this analysis then informed their creation of a survey to identify the prevalence of specific racial microaggressions and their effects on the mental health of high school-aged youth, as reported by youth respondents. Analysis of responses (n=730) were triangulated with interview and storytelling findings. YRC Fellows’ analysis of the survey data showed large variances in youths’ experiences with racial and ethnic microaggressions in school. For example, while 29% of White students reported some level of negative effect on their confidence or self-esteem, 71% of Black / African American students reported some level of negative effect (i.e., 15 times more likely). Fellows contextualized these results within their thematic analysis of interview and narrative data to identify nuanced findings, such as the intersections between racial microaggressions and gender, a topic they are now further investigating in the project’s second year (2022-2023).

Authors

• Meagan Call-Cummings, Johns Hopkins University
  Presenting Author

• Bethany Monea, University of the District of Columbia
  Presenting Author

• Giovanni P. Dazzo, University of Georgia
  Presenting Author

• Bethlehem Tekle, Youth Teams in Education Research
  Presenting Author

• Natale Gray, Youth Teams in Education Research
  Presenting Author

• Jehan Ziboukh, Youth Teams in Education Research
  Presenting Author

• Oaklen Kalinichenko, Youth Teams in Education Research
  Presenting Author

• Sohan Jama, Youth Teams in Education Research
  Presenting Author

• Dyhemia Cummings, Youth Teams in Education Research
  Presenting Author