The relative effects of a bias recognition program on the bias perception level of eighth year social studies students

The problem of this study was to ascertain to what degree a bias recognition program would act to increase the bias perception level of eighth grade social studies students. Hypotheses were set covering five bias recognition subtest areas: ethnocentric, religious, political, sexist and racial bias recognition. Two areas, racial and sexist bias recognition, were to undergo two-way analysis. Sexist bias recognition was analyzed for differences by control and experimental group, sex, and by sex and group. The racial bias recognition subtest area was also analyzed by experimental and control group, by race, and by race and group.

A review of the available literature revealed little in the way of work previously done concerning bias recognition. Some efforts had been made in the area of communication skills. The review itself was divided into three areas:

1. articles and studies dealing with communication skills

2. testing and research studies in skills

3. articles dealing with bias recognition as a skill area

The review revealed only one prior research study had been done in the area of skills. This study was accomplished by Dan B. Fleming and Larry Weber and concerned a wide range of skills. Two excerpts from articles were found that concerned bias recognition as a skill. However, no research studies were found in this area.

After available literature was reviewed, a bias recognition test was designed to test the aforementioned five bias recognition subtest areas as well as the total test area. This test was administered in the three experimental classes located in three different junior high schools in Roanoke, Virginia. The test was also administered to three classes located in the three remaining junior high schools. In this way each junior high school contained one treatment or control class. After an approximate thirteen school days period, the classes were retested. During this period between tests the experimental classes received instruction in the form of a bias recognition program.

Data from these tests was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. The statistical application of most importance was multivariate and univariate analysis of covariance. In covariance analysis of a pretest - posttest design, posttest scores are adjusted for pretest scores in order to statistically control for any initial differences that may have existed between the groups at the time of the pretest.

Descriptive analysis showed the experimental group exhibited superior achievement on the posttest by total and subtest areas. Inferential analysis further showed a significant difference existed between groups for the total score as well as all the five subtest areas of ethnocentric, religious, political, sexist and racial bias recognition. The two subtest areas exhibiting the greatest success were political and sexist bias recognition. No significant difference was found to exist in the sexist bias recognition subtest area by sex or sex and group. In the racial bias recognition subtest area significant differences were not shown to exist by race, but did exist by race and group. Simultaneous confidence intervals analysis further showed that the most effective combination was black students that had received the treatment, compared to black students not receiving the treatment.

Conclusions from this study showed positive results in all subtest and total areas pointing toward a need for a more systematic approach toward skills-oriented curriculum in public schools. One facet of the study of importance is a development of a bias recognition test that can be further refined toward the goa1 of more effective measurement of this skills area.