An Analysis of Online News Comments on Children\u27s Racial Perceptions in the U.S.

This paper studies how a large online community made sense of a television and online news organization\u27s cosponsored study of children\u27s perceptions of race in the America. 2,906 readers\u27 comments from the CNN special report were collected in December 2010. After classifying these comments, there were four data sets: all comments, negative comments, positive comments, and popular comments (comments with Like). Wordstat, a contentanalysis software program, was used to analyze the word/phrase frequency of four data sets. The purpose of the content analysis was to identify any similar pattern of word/phrase among the data sets. Of 2,906 comments, 1,745 comments (60%) received the Like votes from other online readers. However, the majority of these comments (1,723; 59.29%) received fewer than 26 votes of Like. Regarding the positive comments, only 68 comments were agreed upon by the three reviewers. Seven of those comments were highly positive (over 6 based on a 7-point Likert scale). On the other side, 456 comments were agreed upon by the reviewers as negative comments. However, the majority of those comments (443) were slightly negative (2.01-3 based on a 7-point Likert scale)

Pawns of Policy and Problematized Perception: The Sustainability of Inequality Through the Space of African-American Childhood

African American children are simultaneously entrapped by the construct of race and while excluded from the construct of childhood. Race has bifurcated the timeline(s) and bastion of childhood in which one has clear milestones and expectations and the other is nonlinear, fickle, and subject to a suspicious gaze. Recent research describes this phenomenon as “dehumanization”, “age overestimation”, and “adultification.” However, the aforementioned classifications of African American children’s’ experience presents the assumption in which this particular group would first have to be viewed both as human and also as a child, which is arguable. Policy, both children centric and otherwise, along with the problematized perception of African American children interact in a way that has nearly automated the converging space of race and childhood as one of sustainable inequality. Within the trajectory of political economic transitions in the United States African American children, in terms of age categorization and grouping, have gone from being property to problematized; an ephemeral childhood without the assistance of the pre-established demarcations and safeguards. The violence perpetrated against African American children and youth, structurally and physically, demands further examination. While not unprecedented, contemporary technology and social media make the brutal incidents almost instantly accessible and widespread. Social media casts a larger net for the public to bear witness to the frequency and magnitude and in turn illuminates the sentiment of the viewers and how they perceive African American children. The recorded violence, more often than not, is deemed justified and goes unpunished which lays the foundation for larger questions regarding the confinement, exclusion, and assumptions of African American childhood. Who is considered a child when biological age is disregarded based on race? How does the perpetuation of “racialized innocence” and “privilege of protection” racialize potential, limit agency, and construct a future as a luxury? Is it possible to be both African American and a child or are these spaces mutually exclusive

Asian Americans in the Television Media: Creating Incentive for Change

The authors of Race and Place: Equity Issues in Urban America argue the existence of a significant link between race and urban geography. They contend that white racism and domination, rather than a lack of individual motivation or ability, created the concentrated populations of socioeconomically disadvantaged minorities that characterize today\u27s American urban landscape. This Book Review explores in detail one cause and enabler of inequity that the authors cursorily implicate: the entertainment media\u27s capacity to manipulate societal norms. After discussing the powerful role of television media to shape and influence perceptions and behavior, this Review examines the current paucity of Asian-American portrayals in news and entertainment television, and the stereotyped, harmful, and inaccurate nature of those portrayals that do exist. This Book Review concludes that television\u27s widespread influence can reduce social inequity and should be exploited, and proposes a system of tax incentives designed to compel, rather than dictate, positive change

The black mirror of social media: exploring perceptions of racial inequalities during police interactions as presented in social media narratives

Much of the 21st century has been overwhelmed by various technological advancements that have ultimately captured the interest of society. The creation of the internet and subsequently social networking sites have added a new aspect to the theory of individual and group identity formation. Social media has played an increasing role in highlighting variations in the treatment of White and Black Americans by the police in addition to potentially perpetuating the “White Privilege” ideology. To achieve this objective, a content analysis was used to provide a contextualized interpretation of narratives from two Twitter hashtag campaigns: #CrimingWhileWhite (CWW) and #AliveWhileBlack (AWB). The tweets presented an appallingly sharp image of everyday inequalities Blacks and Whites face. #CrimingWhileWhite shows the experiences Whites have within the criminal system; In contrast, #AliveWhileBlack provides anecdotal evidence of differences in treatment. The dichotomy between content in the hash tags CWW and AWB highlighted the harsh reality and differences in treatment of people from law enforcement because of the color of their skin

Ecomedia: Key Issues

Ecomedia: Key Issues is a comprehensive textbook introducing the burgeoning field of ecomedia studies to provide an overview of the interface between environmental issues and the media globally. Linking the world of media production, distribution, and consumption to environmental understandings, the book addresses ecological meanings encoded in media texts, the environmental impacts of media production, and the relationships between media and cultural perceptions of the environment. [From the publisher]https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/books/1084/thumbnail.jp

PARENTS’ AWARENESS AND PERSPECTIVE OF SCHOOL CHOICE SCALES: DEVELOPMENT, REVISION, AND VALIDATION USING THE RASCH MODEL

Parents want the best for their children. But for those who also believe in equal educational opportunity, they struggle with the moral dilemmas raised by school choice. To investigate where parents stand in this dilemma, this study is devoted to the creation of the Parents’ Awareness and Perspective of School Choice (PAPSC) scales, a survey instrument capturing a continuum of conversations surrounding parental school choice, from parents’ awareness of school choice policies or programs to debates surrounding parental freedom of school choice. This study also emphasized the use of well-developed, validated survey tools in educational policy and school choice research. This study documented the development process of the PAPSC survey which involved two phases. The first phase included the construction of a conceptual framework and an item matrix for inclusion of theoretical considerations relevant to the items, a pilot study which collected 119 responses from parents with K-12 children living in a small town in Kentucky, and initial Rasch analyses to examine if the scales met the formal requirements of measurements as defined in the Rasch model. The second phase involved a revision and addition of survey items to improve construct validity, a full implementation of the survey which collected 950 responses from Kentucky parents with P-12 children, a second series of Rasch analyses to establish psychometric properties and validation procedures, and subsequently, differential item functioning (DIF) analyses to measure how item endorsabilities varied with different demographic variables. Results confirmed unidimensionality for two of the original scales and one revised scale in the PAPSC survey. All scales exhibited good item and personal reliabilities, and their rating scales were performing as expected. There was one misfit item in the Parents’ Perspective of School Choice scale. The results yielded a new three-scale, 23-item Web-based instrument surveying parents’ awareness and perspectives of school choice policies and programs

The Relationship Between Media And Cultural Identity In Hispanic Families In Mississippi

This is a qualitative thesis with in-depth interviews with three children and one parent or caretaker of Hispanic descent. These interviews were conducted to find a connection between media use and cultural identity. By doing a qualitative project the researcher was able to do a video documentary with a written portion explaining the methods and findings. The researcher interviethree students with at least one parent or primary caretaker of Hispanic descent seventh through twelfth grade child, who serves as the main child for the study. This research investigated the relationship between the media and cultural identity among Hispanic children in the state of Mississippi. The issue is if the media send negative representations of Hispanics. This study focused on the representations of Mexican-Americans living in Mississippi and how they perceive that representation. These types of media messages about Hispanics can significantly impact cultural identity. The key concept of bicultural bilingual was explored and how it affects the media view of Hispanics. The study was conducted to find out if there was any relationship between media and cultural identity in Hispanic families in Mississippi. The results suggested that the subjects in the study are bicultural bilingual, they relate more with their Hispanic side but at the same time the kids do not want to fit the stereotype that the media has depicted about Mexicans

A Call for Radical Action: How Ordinary Racism, Superimposition of White Values, and The Hyper-Visible- Invisible Dichotomy Are Pushing Black Girls Out of Schools

This paper explains and analyzes how ordinary racism, superimposition of white values, and the hypervisible-invisible dichotomy operate in K-12 schools to stymie the academic and socio emotional development of Black girls, criminalize them, and push them out of schools. A scholarly review of the literature featuring Black feminist scholars is presented. Embedded throughout are the thoughts of the author, a first generation Latinx woman of color and elementary school teacher. Highlighted as well are the powerful voices of Black girls describing their damaging experiences with racism, both micro and macro aggressions, in schools. Two prominent themes emerge in identifying the ways in which schools render Black girls invisible, hypervisible and crush their academic spirits and freedom to be themselves: 1) false beliefs about Black girls’ academic potential, stereotypes and perceptions about Black girls’ behaviors, 2) emphasis on Black girls conforming to White values. Recommendations that are rooted in highly successful historical and current models for building on individual and community strengths among African American girls and women are offered for supporting teachers and schools in addressing and changing racist beliefs and practices. This urgent call for action includes building teachers’ understanding of the racialized gendered contexts through which Black girls experience the world. Black Feminist Theory, Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality are offered as critical areas of study for educators. Literacy circles, mirror books, and family engagement are also posed as avenues for addressing the academic and social emotional needs of Black girls

Resources for Workplace Diversity: An Annotated Practitioner Guide to Information

[Excerpt] We are pleased to offer this updated edition of Resources for Workplace Diversity: An Annotated Practitioner Guide to Information, a unique offering of The Workplace Diversity Network. Our goal is to assemble a selected, annotated list of compelling and useful resources available to help diversity practitioners create organizations that are diverse and productive. As a working group, we agreed that useful resources would include newly published books as well as historic, seminal works that provide insight and illumination irrelevant of their age. In the updated edition, we’ve expanded existing sections, added new ones and referenced online access where possible. Designed with practitioner needs in mind, Resources for Workplace Diversity is meant to be an evolving document, one that will grow according to the needs and recommendations of its users. To capture the advantage of networking, we invite you to suggest additional resources that you have found to be valuable

Female College Athletes’ Perceptions on Gender Stereotypes and Discrimination in Collegiate Athletics

Forty years later under the provisions of Title IX, there are still many criticisms concerning the lack of actual gender equality in female athletics. This study examined 63 NCAA Division-I female athletes’ perception of the effectiveness of Title IX and gender stereotypes related to their athletic experience through a qualitative survey. The results indicated that female athletes still experienced performance- and behavioral-related stereotypes and biases, while participating in athletics. Participants also expressed the existence of gender differences in how athletic achievement was perceived and recognized. Researchers attempted to detail the need to continuously reduce the existing stereotypes and biases and offered practical suggestions for pursing greater gender equality