Problematizing Equity Literacy Assessments: Black and White Instructors Compare Their Students' Work Samples

• In Event: 51.079 - MTCC Roundtable Session 22
  In Roundtable Session: 51.079-2 - The Complexities of Preparing Social Justice Educators

Abstract

After experiencing and witnessing students’ racial bias in academic settings, two instructor-researchers wondered if students’ bias would also manifest in coursework assignments. Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) framed the qualitative nested case study. Researchers applied a coding scheme to compare what students learned in two sections of an identical online master’s level equity course for inservice teachers. Findings revealed that students of the Black instructor performed just as well, in some cases better, than students in the same course taught by a white instructor. These findings suggest that students know how to mask their bias when completing course assignments. The instructor-researchers posit four claims that ultimately call into question the usefulness of course assignments as assessment tools for equity literacy.

Authors

• Elizabeth Gayle Soslau, University of Delaware

• Chanelle Wilson, Bryn Mawr College