Date of Award

Summer 2022

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Department

Educational Studies

First Advisor

Terrance McAdoo

Abstract

White supremacy and domination are the backbone foundation of the United States and have been long documented in its history. The prevalence of whiteness and white supremacy is not isolated to social situations or commerce but fundamentally ingrained in the education system. While Brown v. the Board of Education abolished the notion of separate but equal, the education of a diverse American student population remains predominantly at the hands of White, female educators. This action research study, using an investigative mixed-methods design, attempted to address educator whiteness at a small, rural high school in the Southeastern United States. Treatment participants were assigned reading from a commonly used social justice text that was then discussed in a series of discussion groups. Constructs such as white supremacy, racism, and culturally relevant pedagogy were addressed and discussed by the all-white female veteran teachers.

The framework that guided the research questions, readings, and discussion groups were the intersection of critical race theory and whiteness studies. Results indicated a statistically significant change in participant awareness of white privilege on the Color-Blind Racial Attitude Scale (CoBRAS) survey between the pre- and posttest administration of the instrument. Qualitative data supported the findings and featured themes of lived experiences witnessing racism, racism, and white ignorance and awareness. Most treatment participants indicated change in culturally relevant pedagogy with the majority of participants continuing their learning and self-awareness after the study had completed. An action plan suggesting avenues of additional learning and course for white teacher racial growth are provided in addition to direction of future research.

Rights

© 2022, Mary Katharine Brasche

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