This qualitative research inquiry explores the development of intergroup relationships across race and ethnicity in a college classroom. The study describes the conditions that support the development of positive intergroup contact among members of racially and ethnically diverse groups and identifies the factors that impede intergroup relationships. College faculty are searching for effective ways to work with diverse racial and ethnic populations in college classrooms and for interventions when faced with challenging intergroup dynamics. Issues of differential status among students often impact their ability to develop intergroup relationships. The literature in the field of intergroup relations lacks an analysis of social inequality to balance the literature on intergroup difference. This study positions intergroup relations within a framework of social justice education that acknowledges issues of inequality as well as difference. Focus groups were the primary methodological tool for this study, complemented by additional data sets drawn from field notes and student writing that was used as confirming data. The constant comparative analysis approach was useful for the emergent style of the data, as patterns and themes guided the process of analysis. Five significant themes emerged from student reports regarding their perceptions and experiences with racial and ethnic difference. Distinctions between the responses of White students and Students of Color reflected the impact of different lived experiences and perspectives shared by their racial and ethnic differences. Allport's Contact Hypothesis (1954), particularly his emphasis on equal status roles, was used as one of the frameworks for analysis, supplemented by social justice theory. The findings in this study suggest that equal status roles cannot be achieved between members of unequal social groups in a classroom but that positive intergroup relationships among students are achievable by the presence of a number of other environmental factors. Participants identified conditions in the classroom setting and the role of the teacher as enabling factors that supported their ability to develop intergroup relationships. Educators can enhance the learning outcomes for their students when attention is given to the diverse racial and ethnic identities in the classroom population and the development of relationships among students.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UMASS/oai:scholarworks.umass.edu:dissertations-1854 |
| Date | 01 January 2000 |
| Creators | Gannon, Mary Martha |
| Publisher | ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst |
| Source Sets | University of Massachusetts, Amherst |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest |
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