by Emma Silverstein
1 Introduction
In 2015, the University of Southern California (USC) changed its general education requirements, including those pertaining to diversity. Specifically, the university changed its diversity requirement to what it calls the Global Perspective requirements. According to USC, the purpose of the diversity requirement was to “understand and respect differences between groups of people” [1], while the purpose of the Global Perspectives requirement is to make students “respectful of the values and traditions of diverse cultures, aware of the structures of power that affect people differently by race, class, gender and other socially constructed categories” [2]. These two goals are very similar, and currently we are at a point where the old diversity requirement is being phased out. However, because there are still certain students who began their undergraduate education prior to 2015, the diversity requirement courses are still identified in course listings. This leaves us in the unique position where classes for both requirements are identified, which provides the opportunity to compare each requirement’s ability to achieve the stated goal. This post proposes a hypothetical research study. The study is designed to determine each method’s effectiveness in changing the students’ biases and behaviors toward disadvantaged peoples, and to identify strategies which will increase success toward this goal.
1.1 Background
Diversity classes and trainings have become common among universities and businesses. However, there has been a limited amount of research on their ability to change implicit bias and behavior. This has led to a variety of methods with the same objective: to reduce prejudice toward people who have been marginalized. The most common method studied is single session trainings [3]. These studies have found a short-term reduction in biases, which faded after a few days [4]. Furthermore, there has been very little evidence of a significant change in behavior [3].
It is worth doing more research into long term methods of diversity education because studies have shown it to be effective in reducing biases and prejudiced behavior toward people of different backgrounds. In a study by Shook and Fazio, white students in university housing were randomly assigned to a white or Black roommate [5]. They found that students who were paired with black roommate saw an improvement in “automatically activated racial attitudes and intergroup anxiety.” The researchers theorized that people are motivated to be more aware of their behaviors when they are made to consider and interact with people of different backgrounds. The longer the interaction, the more likely the behavioral changes are to become ingrained.
1.2 Research Objectives
The methods used in DEI trainings and classes can vary from program to program, but there has not been a lot of research into the benefits and disadvantages of each method. Trainings and classes can be more effective if the ideal format and curriculum are identified and then this ideal method can be standardized. Our objective is that, by comparing two methods of diversity training, we can contribute to the knowledge of what yields the most long-term success, and provide information to USC and other universities in how to optimize the success of courses directed at teaching diversity.
2 Research Plan
Below, I have outlined the methods for conducting a survey on the students currently taking the Global Perspectives Requirement. We propose that the survey be distributed to all the students taking the Global Perspective requirement. Some of the classes which fulfill this requirement simultaneously meet the diversity requirement. These classes can be identified using the Class ID codes on the USC course schedule [6]. The students taking the diversity requirement will be placed into their own group. The survey will be distributed at the beginning of the semester to two thirds of both groups to ensure the initial survey does not have any effect on the students going forward [4]. Then the same survey will be distributed to all the students at the end of the semester and at the beginning of the following semester. This will give us a sense of how the students biases and behaviors changed from the beginning of the semester and to the end, and if these changes endured.
2.1 Methods
We will follow the examples of previous research on the topic of bias and behavior toward marginalized groups. First, students will be asked about their demographic characteristics. Then, to measure explicit biases, we will use a similar method to Lai et al. where will ask students a series of questions about their preferences toward different peoples [4]. For example, the Lai study provided a Likert scale from 1 to 7 with one side being “I strongly prefer black people to white people” and the other side being “I strongly prefer white people to black people.” We suggest using a similar statistical analysis to the Lai study [[7].
In analyzing implicit bias, we are faced with the challenge that “self-presentational concerns and motivational factors may lead individuals not to respond truthfully on scales measuring explicit racial bias and prejudice” [5]. Following the example from the studies performed by Lai et al. and Shook and Fazio, to analyze implicit bias, we will used a timed association test to get the most instinctive reaction, which will be the closest to their implicit beliefs [4] [5]. Again, we will use a similar method to Lai et al. [4]. We will first set a baseline for response time for each student, then we will provide them with words and pictures to with which they will match associations.
Finally, to measure behaviors, we will survey the student personal interactions with diverse peoples. Answers to these questions will be numerical or multiple choice. An example question might be, “how many friends do you have who are not your race?”
3 Impacts
The conclusions we draw from this study will be very beneficial to USC and other universities that have already, or eventually will, implement some form of diversity course into their curriculum. The results of the proposed study will allow us to see which if the Global Perspectives requirement yields a greater and longer-term improvement in attitude and behavior when compared to the diversity requirement. The finds have the potential to justify USC’s choice to change the curriculum. The impact of the topic studied extends beyond the university, and into workplace settings. Below, I outline some of the effects this research could have on USC, other universities, and professional settings in the outside academia.
3.1 University Uses
I hope that the findings from this research can be used to improve how the students are taught about DEI. The university made curriculum change in 2015, and this study has the potential to show if this change was justified. Furthermore, with careful survey design and analysis it can help isolate what characteristics of each system work best. From this, universities, including USC, can design and adjust their requirements as they deem necessary to improve the culture of their campus.
3.2 Broader Uses
The results of this study can also be added to the lacking pool of research on the effects of prolonged exposure to culturally diverse concepts. It will contribute to the theory that longer exposure to people and ideas of diverse backgrounds will yield a greater and longer change in bias and behavior [5]. With a better understanding of what has the greatest effects, diversity trainings and classes can be optimized and standardized.
Author Bio
| Emma Silverstein is a junior at USC majoring in Civil Engineering with a minor in Italian. She is an NCAA Division 1 athlete for the Women’s Rowing Team. She made the Dean’s List in Fall 2020. In 2021, she was named a CRCA scholar athlete. She currently lives in upstate New York. |  |
This work was carried out as part of our Summer Virtual Internship, which was supported by funding from the NSF under Grant No. ECCS-1711268. The views expressed herein are solely those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views, opinions, or positions of USC or the NSF; the NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
References
[1] USC Dornsife College of Arts and Sciences, “Diversity Requirement,” University of Southern California, https://dornsife.usc.edu/diversity-requirement/.
[2] “General Education,” University of Southern California, https://catalogue.usc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=8&poid=7227 (2018).
[3] P. Forcher, et al., “A meta-analysis of procedures to change implicit measures,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 522-559. https://www-proquest-com.libproxy1.usc.edu/docview/2239319598?accountid=14749#s64 (2019).
[4] C. Lai, et al., “Reducing implicit racial preferences: II. intervention effectiveness across time,” Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 1001-1016, https://www-proquest-com.libproxy1.usc.edu/docview/1797263358?accountid=14749#s5 (2016).
[5] N. J. Shook and R. H. Fazio, “Interracial Roommate Relationships: An Experimental Field Test of the Contact Hypothesis,” Psychological Science, 717-723, https://journals-sagepub-com.libproxy1.usc.edu/doi/full/10.1111/j.1467- 9280.2008.02147.x (2008).
[6] “USC Schedule of Classes,” University of Southern California, https://classes.usc.edu/term- 20213/(2021).
[7] C. Lai and B. Nosek, “Reducing implicit racial preferences: II. intervention effectiveness across time/Study 1-analysis plan,” OSF, https://osf.io/zeupk/ (2016).
