Prejudice and Racism: Challenges and Progress in Measurement

The intent of this chapter is to review three categories of prejudice measures that practitioners and researchers can use in practice or research. Given that a recent comprehensive review of self-report racial prejudice measures was completed by Biernat and Crandall (1999), this chapter focuses on new developments in self-report measures of racial and anti-gay prejudice. Anti -gay prejudice is an important clinical and research area, and to date, only a few critical reviews of instruments measuring negative attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women have appeared in the literature (Herek, 1994; O\u27Donohue & Caselles, 1993; Schwanberg, 1993). Emerging prejudice measurement issues are the final focus, specifically addressing theoretical developments and the implications for prejudice measurement. Concluding comments address future needs in prejudice measurement and the application to counseling practice and research

Beliefs about Diversity and the Relationships Between White Teachers-In-Training and Their African American and White Students

Research indicates that high-quality relationships between teachers and students positively impact classroom environment, academic performance and also ameliorate negative stressors in the lives of children. However, little attention has been paid to conceptualizing and measuring teacher-student relationship quality and predictors of it. There is an additional challenge when a teacher and student differ racially and/or culturally, as insensitivity on the part of schools and teachers toward students of color is prevalent in the literature (e.g., stereotyping, low expectations). The present study was conducted to assess whether the beliefs that White teachers hold about diversity, both personally and professionally, would predict the quality of relationships they would form with African-American versus white elementary school students. Both professional and personal beliefs about diversity were assessed using Pohan and Aguilar\u27s (2001) measures. Relationship quality was self-rated by teachers-in-training and also by independent observers using Pianta\u27s Student Teacher Relationship Scale. Results suggest that positive personal beliefs about diversity predicted higher relationship quality with African-American students. The absolute value of the correlation was similar with White students, but did not reach statistical significance. Professional beliefs about diversity did not predict relationship quality

Beliefs about diversity and the relationships between White teachers-in-training and their African-American and White students

Research indicates that high-quality relationships between teachers and students positively impact classroom environment, academic performance and also ameliorate negative stressors in the lives of children. However, little attention has been paid to conceptualizing and measuring teacher-student relationship quality and predictors of it. There is an additional challenge when a teacher and student differ racially and/or culturally, as insensitivity on the part of schools and teachers toward students of color is prevalent in the literature (e.g., stereotyping, low expectations). The present study was conducted to assess whether the beliefs that White teachers hold about diversity, both personally and professionally, would predict the quality of relationships they would form with African-American versus white elementary school students. Both professional and personal beliefs about diversity were assessed using Pohan and Aguilar\u27s (2001) measures. Relationship quality was self-rated by teachers-in-training and also by independent observers using Pianta\u27s Student Teacher Relationship Scale. Results suggest that positive personal beliefs about diversity predicted higher relationship quality with African-American students. The absolute value of the correlation was similar with White students, but did not reach statistical significance. Professional beliefs about diversity did not predict relationship quality

Workplace Discrimination, Prejudice, and Diversity Measurement: A Review of Instrumentation

This is a review of five instruments designed to measure workplace discrimination, prejudice, and attitudes toward diversity. Each measure is critically reviewed based on item development, the current psychometric evidence, and the practical utility for career counseling and organizational development efforts. The Discussion section explores future research directions for validation studies, expansion of theory and measurement development, and recommendations for assessment of workplace diversity