Student perceptions of white racial affinity groups and the development of anti-racist racial identities at an independent school / Ryan C. Kimmet.

Format:

Book

Thesis/Dissertation

Author/Creator:

Kimmet, Ryan C., author.

Contributor:

Stevenson, Howard C., 1958- degree supervisor.

University of Pennsylvania. Department of Educational Leadership, degree granting institution.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Educational leadership.

Educational leadership--Penn dissertations.

Penn dissertations--Educational leadership.

Local Subjects:

Educational leadership.

Educational leadership--Penn dissertations.

Penn dissertations--Educational leadership.

Genre:

Academic theses.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (105 pages)

Contained In:

Dissertations Abstracts International 82-12A.

Place of Publication:

[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania] : University of Pennsylvania ; Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, 2021.

Language Note:

English

System Details:

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

text file

Summary:

As schools across the country increase their efforts to create diverse and inclusive schools, many institutions struggle with what tangible steps to take to develop student racial literacy. Simply celebrating multiculturalism is not enough to create an inclusive atmosphere for marginalized students, nor does it "move the needle" for White students who need to better understand their own racial identities and how race impacts their lives. Independent schools, in particular, have significant work to do as predominantly white institutions, many of which have fraught histories of exclusion and racism. One helpful pathway forward toward undoing the white supremacist legacy of independent schools and giving marginalized students and students of color a greater voice is to create racial affinity groups. Within these spaces and their accompanying curricula, students are given the opportunity to explore the ways in which race affects their lives and their experiences in school. For many students of color, the opportunity to participate in affinity groups helps create a stronger sense of belonging in the school. For White students, whose privilege often affords them the feeling of belonging anyway, affinity groups can be uncomfortable experiences in which they wrestle with pieces of their identity that may not have been previously clear. This dissertation study aims to explore the experience of White students participating in mandatory racial affinity groups in a middle school setting within a private Quaker school. While there has been some scholarly examination of the benefits and challenges of affinity groups for students of color, little research exists on the ways in which racial affinity groups may help develop positive racial identities for White students and may benefit the overall inclusivity and equity of an institution. Through a series of qualitative interviews with White middle school students participating in racial affinity groups this study seeks to understand the ways in which these students develop their own understandings of race and racism, and whether or not there is a connection, in their view, between participating in these groups and their own racial identity development.

Notes:

Source: Dissertations Abstracts International, Volume: 82-12, Section: A.

Advisors: Stevenson, Howard C.; Committee members: Jessie Harper; Ali Michael.

Department: Educational Leadership.

Ed.D. University of Pennsylvania 2021.

Local Notes:

School code: 0175

ISBN:

9798516084713

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.

This item must not be sold to any third party vendors.