DOCUMENT
RESUME
ED 028 122
SP 002 274
By-Cullen, Robert J.; Auria, Carl
The Relationship Between Ethnic Prejudice and Student Teaching Behavior.
Pub Date Feb 69
Note-20p.; Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association,
February 1969, Los Angeles, California
EDRS Price MF-$0.25 HC-$1.10
Descriptors- Attitude Tests, *Ethnic Groups, *Negroes, *Social Discrimination, *Student Teaching, Teacher
Attitudes,
feacher Behavior, Teacher Characteristics
Identifiers-Bogardus Ethnic Distance Scale, Hinckley's Attitude Toward the Negro Scale
A study was designed to determine (1) differences in ethnic prejudice between
43 student teachers in early childhood education, 124 in elementary, and 195 in
secondary; (2) how prejudice toward Negroes differs from that toward other ethnic
groups; and (3) the relationship
of ethnic prejudice to various student teaching
behavior characteristics. Student teachers were given Bogardus'
Ethnic Distance
Scale and Hinckley's Attitude Toward the Negro Scale to measure prejudice and a
semantic differential scale to assess eight characteristics of
teaching (such as
rigidity and conformity) hypothesized to be related to prejudice. Content analyses of
supervisor reports provided information about each student's
behavior with regard
to 22 characteristics (e.g., enthusiasm, self-confidence,
adaptability). Analysis of
variance, t test, and correlational procedures were used to derive the
findings. No
significant differences were found between the three groups. Prejudice toward
Negroes was found to be greater than toward other ethnic groups. Correlations
indicated
that students
rz,.ted
high on presentation-communication, enthusiasm,
professional attitude, and sense of humor evidenced less prejudice than others, and
those who had difficulty assuming responsibility and accepting constructive criticism
evidenced significantly more prejudice than others. (US)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH, EDUCATION &
WELFARE
OFFICE OF EDUCATION
THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRODUCED
EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE
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STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT
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POSITION OR POLICY.
The Relationship between Ethnic Prejudice
and Student Teaching Behavior
Robert J. Cullen
Carl Auria
Kent State University
Several investigators have attempted to discover the
personality
correlates of prejudic(
For example, Adorno et al. (1950) found that
certain personality characteristics such as
rigidity, conformity, and
intolerance of ambiguity were closely related to prejudice.
In another study,
Kutner (1958) concluded that rigidity and concrete-mindedness accompany
and possibly underlie prejudice. Other investigators
(Halstead, 1966;
Stephenson, 1952, 1955) have shown that college students majoring
in
different areas of study differ in the degree of prejudice that they show
toward
Negroes. Stephenson and Wilcox (1955) found that students in
different fields
differed in attitudes toward Negroes but not toward ethnic groups
in general.
The present study attempted to determine differences in ethnici
prejudice between student teachers in early childhood,
elementary, and
secondary education and how prejudice of student teachers
toward Negroes
differs from their prejudice toward ethnic groups in general.
This study
also attempted to determine the relationship of ethnic
prejudice to various
student teaching behavior characteristics.
This paper was presented at the meeting of the American
Educational
Research Association, Los Angeles, February 1969,
It is based on the first
author's unpublished master's thesis, "The Relationships
Between Ethnic
Prejudice and Teaching Behavior of Student Teachers at Kent State
University,
Fall, 1967, " Kent State University, 1969. (Thesis advisor:
Dr. Carl Auria)
J11111011111
2.
Sample,
A group of one hundred and fifteen subjects was drawn from a population
of students doing student teaching in the fields of early childhood (N=43),
elementary (N=124), and secondary education (N=195) at a large midwestern
state university during the fall of 1967. Since the evaluation of student
teachers required the cooperation of student teaching supervisors, only
student teachers whose supervisors indicated a willingness to cooperate
were included. A distribution of this sample by major field and by sex is
given in Table 1.
It should be noted that the early childhood education and
elementary education groups contain only female student teachers. Only
the secondary education group had any male subjects.
Procedures
Ethnic prejudice was assessed with a modified version of Bogardus'
Ethnic Distance Scale and Hinckley's Attitude Toward the Negro Scale. The
Ethnic Distance Scale was designed to measure the ethnic distance or the
degree of "closeness" or acceptance that an individual will allow of himself
toward any ethnic group. For example, for each ethnic group respondents
indicated whether they would marry into that group, would accept them as
close friends, would exclude them from the United States, etc. The degree
of ethnic prejudice shown toward an ethnic group, a specific ethnic distance
score, is obtained for each of thirty ethnic groups. The mean of the specific
*The sample includes approximately twenty-five percent of each the
secondary and elementary education student teachers and eighty percent of
the early childhood education student teachers.
3.
ethnic distance scores of all ethnic groups represents a general ethnic
distance score. A low ethnic distance score indicates low prejudice on the
part of the respondent toward the ethnic group rated. The means
of the
ethnic distance scores of each ethnic group were determined for each
student teaching group. The ethnic groups were then ranked on the basis
of these mean scores for each of the student teaching groups. A listing of
the thirty ethnic groups rated in this study is included in Table 5.
Hinckley's Scale, as the name indicates, measures attitudes towards
Negroes. On this scale, respondents indicate whether they agree or
disagree with sixteen statements about the rights, equality, and the prero-
gatives of Negroes. A high score on this scale indicates a favorable attitude
toward Negroes.
Teaching behavior was evaluated as follows: A semantic differential
type rating scale developed by the present investigators was employed by
student teaching supervisors to assess particular characteristics of teaching
behaviox.(such as rigidity and conformity) hypothesized to be related to
prejudice, A complete listing of these characteristics is given in Table 2.
A low score indicates that the student teacher being rated is more flexible
than rigid, more tolerant than intolerant, etc.
Extensive reports prepared by the supervisors at the completion of
the student teaching period were content analyzed to provide information
about each student teacher's behavior. Table 3 contains a list of the
teaching characteristics determined by the content analysis. These
characteristics include enthusiasm, self-confidence,
and the ability to assume
responsibility in student teaching. Each student
teacher was rated as
having a strength or weakness on each of these
teaching characteristics.
In some instances the .supervisors made-no'reference to .a
characteristic:
so a third category,
"characteristic not specified", was added. The
ethnic
prejudice scores for the total group of student teachers were
sorted into
three subgroups based on the ratings of the student
teacher on each of the
teaching characteristics.
Analysis of variance, t-test, and correlational procedures were
used
in making comparisons between the student teaching groups
and determining
the relationships of teaching characteristics to
prejudice. In all analyses,
the .05 level was considered the point of statistical
significance. For dis-
cussion purposes the .10 level of significance was
considered to be "suggestive.
Findings
Table 4 shows the results of comparisons on prejudice scores
of the
student teaching groups.
It may be noted that the student teaching groups do
not differ in the mean prejudice scores on
either the Bogardus or Hinckley
Scales.
Table 5 shows the ethnic groups ranked according to
the mean prejudice
scores assigned them by the
total group of student teachers. As is apparent
for the total group of student teachers, Negroes were
ranked very low for the
three groups of student teachers. This indicates that
prejudice toward Negroes
was greater than prejudice toward
other ethnic groups. In fact, the mean
differences between the specific ethnic distance score toward
Negroes and the
5.
general ethnic distance score toward all ethnic groups were
found to be
significant for each of the three groups of student teachers.
These findings
are shown in Table 7.
The rankings of the mean prejudice scores of the student
teaching groups
toward tte thirty ethnic groups were very highly correlated
(rho = .95). The
Spearman rho correlation coefficients between these rankings are shown in
Table 6.
The findings that no differences exist in prejudice toward ethnic groups
in general between the groups of student teachers concurs with the
findings
of Stephenson and Wilcox (1955). However, contrary to the studies of
Halstead
(1966) and Stephenson (1955) this study found no differences in prejudice
toward
Negroes between the student-teacher groups.
The means and standard deviations of the ratings on teaching
behavior
characteristics for the student teaching groups are given in
Table 8.
Product
moment correlation coefficients between the general
ethnic distance scores
(Bogardus Scale) and the ratings of each of the behavior characteristics
for
various groups are shown in Table 9. Only four of these correlations are
significant.
It was recognized that the correlation of a series of characteristics
for any population increases the probability of finding significant
correlations
by chance. The conservative approach to this problem taken in
this study
was to accept a correlation as being
significant only if more than one
significant correlation was found for any subgroup. Therefore, for the
early childhgod education group, the hypothesis that pessimism and prejudice
are positively correlated is not accepted.
However, three correlations are
significant for the female secondary education group. These positive
correlations indicate that future female
secondary teachers having low
prejudice scores were rated
as tolerant, independent, and equalitarian. No
significant correlations
were found for the early childhood or male secondary
education student teachers.
On the basis of obtained F ratios six
prejudice. teaching behavior
relationships may be classified
as "suggestive." Tables 10 and 11 include
those characteristics on which student teacher
subgroups differed on Ethnic
Distance. Scale scores and Attitude Toward
the Negro Scale scores, respectively.
Tables 12 and 13 show the results of the
comparisons of the specific rating
subgroups which yielded the "suggestive" F ratios.
It may be seen that those
students rated as having strengths
on the behavior characteristics of
presentation - communication, enthusiasm, professional
attitudes, and sense
of humor evidenced less prejudice than
those students for whom these
characteristics were not specified.
It also may be seen that those students
who had difficulty in assuming responsibility
and accepting constructive
criticism evidenced more prejudice than
students for whom these characteristics
were not specifidd
.
Those students who
were observed as accepting
constructive criticism evidenced significantly
less prejudice than those
students who did not manifest this behavior.
Obviously, any interpretation of the findings
of this study must take into
account such limitations as restricted sampling, the
use of paper-and-pencil
tests as measures of prejudice, and the relatively subjective
evaluation of
teaching behavior made by student teaching
supervisors. Yet, the findings
do indicate that ethnic prejudice is reflected
in various student teaching
behaviors, that the instruments employed
have some validity, and that
prejudice as a variable in teaching
can and should be studied further.
Selected References
Adorno, T. W., Frenkel-Brunswik, E., Levinson, D. J., and Sanford,
R. N. The authoritarianpersonality. New York: Harper and
Brothers, 1950.
Bogardus, E. S.
Measuring social distance. Journal of Applied
Socilogy, 1925, 9, 299-308.
Bogardus, E. S.
Racial distance changes in the United States during the
past 30 years. Sociology and Social Research, 1958,
43, 127-134,
Halstead, M. N. Association between college major and prejudice toward
Negroes among a selected sample of students at Kent State University.
Unpublished master's thesis, Kent State University, 1966.
Hinckley, E. D. The influence of individual opinion on construction of an
attitude scale. Journal of Social Psychology, 1932, 3, 283-296.
Kutner, B. Patterns of mental functioning association with prejudice in
children. Psychological
1958, 72, (7).
Stephenson, C. M. The relation between the attitudes toward Negroes of
white college students and the college or school in which they are
registered. Journal of Social Psychology, 1952, 36, 197-204.
Stephenson, C. M. The relation between the attitudes toward Negroes of
seniors in a school of education and their major subject. Journal of
Educational Research, 1955, 49, 113-121.
Stephenson, C. M., and Wilcox, C. G.
Social distance variations of college
students.
Sociology and Social Research, 1955, 39, 240-241.
TABLE
I
Distribution of Subjects by Major and by
Sex
Early
Childhood
Elementary
Secondary
Total
Male
Female
Total
0
3 4
34
0
32
32
22
22
27
93
49
115
TABLE
:Al
Selected Student-Teaching
Characteristics
Determined by Content Analysis of Final
Student Teaching Reports
knowledge of subject matter
preparation and planning
presentation-communication
classroom management-discipline
enthusiasm
rapport
provide for individual differences
creative-imaginative-resourceful
sincere-conscientious-friendly
motivating
self-confident
assumes responsibility
accepts constructive
criticism
interested in children
personal appearance
open-minded
professional attitudes
adaptable
sense of humor
consistent-dependable
understands children
works harmoniously with others
TABLE 4
Analysis of
Variance Between
Student Teaching Groups
on Ethnic
Di.stance
Scale Scores and
Attitude Toward
the Negro Scale
Scords
Attitude Measure
Student Teaching Groups
Early
Childhood
(N=34)
Elementary
(N=32)
Secondary
(N=49)
SD
7
SD
R.
SD
F
Ethnic Distance Scale
1.66
0.49
1.65
0.46
1.50
0.66 1.05
Attitude Toward the
8.45
1.04
8.26
1.22
8.04
1.27
1.22
Negro Scale
TABLE 5
Ethnic Group Ranks as Determined by Ethnic Distance Scale
Specific Subscale Score Means of Total Group (N=115)
Rank
Ethnic Group
Specific
Subscale
Score
Rank
Ethnic Group
Specific
Subscale
Score T
1.0 Americans
(U.S.
White)
1.017
16.0
Greeks
1.529
2.0
English
1.069
17.0
Jews
1.638
3.0
Canadians
1.086
18.0
Indians (American)
1.681
4.0
Irish
1.095 19.0
Armenians
1.733
5.0
Scots 1.147
20.0
Russians
1.750
6.0
Norwegians 1.155
21.0
Japanese Americans
1.836
7.0
Germans
1.164
22.0
Japanese
1.966
8.0
French
1.190
23.0
Mexican Americans
1.974
9.0
Swedish
1.198
24.0
Turks
2.000
10.0
Hollanders
1.216
25.0
Filipinos
2.026
11.0
Finhs
1.233
26.0
Koreans
2.052
12.0
Italians
1.328
27.5
Chinese
2.095
13.0
Pales
1.448 27.5 Mexicans
2.095
14,0
Czechs 1.491 29.0
Indians (India)
2.138
15.0 Spanish
1.526
30.0
Ne2roes 2.336
General Ethnic Distance Score = 1.59
TABLE 6
Spearman Rho Correlation
Coefficients Between
Ethnic Group Ranks by Early
Childhood,
Elementary, and Secondary
Education Majors
Early
Childhood
Elementary
Secondary
(N=34)
(N=32)
(N=49)
Early Childhood .
.939++
.949++
Elementary
-
.950++
Secondary
MS
++p<i0l, 2-tailed test
TABLE 7
Correlated T Tests of Significance of Mean Differences
Between General Ethnic Distance Scores and
Negro Subscale Scores of Total Group
and Subgroups
Group
General
Negro
IC SD
SD
Early Chltdhood
1.6.6
0.48 2.26 0.83
(N=34)
Elementary
1.64
0.46
2.38
0.94
(N=32)
Secondary
1.50
0.66
2.37
1.09
(N=49)
Total
1.59
0.56
2.34
0.97
(N=115)
+4-
p<.01,
2-tailed
test
TABLE
8
Means and Standard Deviations of Ratings
of Specific Student Teacher
aehavioi. Characteristics.for_Total
Groups and Subgroups
.11111.4,
Teaching
Behavior
Characteristic
Mean and
Standard
Deviation
Early
Secondary
Childhood Elementary Secondary Male
Female Total
Rigid-Flexible
f
4.74
5.22
6.22
6.86
5.70
5.50
SD
2.81
3.46
2.44
2.55
2.27
2.91
Intolerant-Tolerant
7
4.09
4.53
4.86
5.09
4.67
4.54
SD
2.93
2.75
1.83
2.02
1.67
2.46
Conformer-Independent
'I
5.29
6.38
7.00
7.18
6.85
6.32
SD'
3.23
3.60
2.40
2.11
2.64
3.08
Low Self Acceptance-
High Self Acceptance
i
5.44
5.78
6.55
6.46
6.63
6.01
tD
2.70
3.40
2.59
2.30
2.84
2.88
Pessimistic-Optimistic
X
5.68
5.47
6.63
6.36
6.85
6.03
tD
2.54
3.51
2.57
2.28
2.81
2.88
Discontented-Contented
f
4.62
5.22
6.39
6.27
6.48
5.54
SD
2.40
3.73
2.35
2.64 2.14
2.89
Exteapunitive-Intropunitive
7(--
6.03
7.41
6.51
6.36
6.63
6.62
SD
2.76
2.65
1.96
1.92
2.02
2.45
Authorttarian-Equalitarian
f.
6.09
6.91
6.96
7.54
6.48
6.69
SD
2.85
3.06
2.09
2.02
2.06
2.62
TABLE 9
Product-Moment Correlations Between General Ethnic Distance
Scores and Ratings of Specific Student-Teacher Behavior
Characteristics for Total Group and Subgroups
Characteristic
Early
Childgood
(N = 34)
Elementary Secondary
(N = 32)
(I/ = 49)-
Secondary
Total
(N=115)
Male
(N=22)
Female
(N=27)
Rigid-Flexible
.030
-.027
-.046
-.230
.266 -.049
Intolerant-Tolerant .103
.007 .193
.067 .502++ .087
Conformer-Independent
.032 .008
.102
-.025
.331+ .019
Low-High Self Acceptance
.010 .034
.059
.090
.044
.015
Pessimistic-Optimistic
.315+ .033
-.092
-.125 -.045
.012
Discontented-Contented
.285 -.145
-.023
-.009 -.046
-.027
Extrapunitive-Intropunitive
.129
.191
.041
.044
.072
-.101
Authoritatian-Equalitarian
.005
-.149
-.009
-.288
.445" -.054
+
p<;05, 1-tailed test
++13<.01, 1-tailed test
,
TABLE 10
Analysis of Variance Between General
Ethnic Distance
Scores of Subgroups of Student
Teachers Selected by
Ratings on Student Teaching Behavior
Characteristics
211111101
Student Teaching
Rating
N
General Ethnic
F
Behavior Characteristic
Subgroup
Distance Score
7
SD
Presentation-
Communication
Strength 59
1.52
0.39
2.70#
Weakness
13
1.40
0.29
Not Specified 43
1.73
0.75
Enthusiasm
lo....r...
%mow
Strength
50
1.45
0.39
Weakness
4
1.70
0.32
Not Specified 61
1.70
0.65
2.88#
Professional
Attitudes
Strength
30
1.42
0.34
Weakness
1
1.00
0.00
Not Specified 84
1.65
0.60
2.60#
Sense of
Humor
Strength
13
Weakness
0
Not Specified 102
1.32
0.37
3.30#
IMMAIMOO
MOMIIIIIWO
#p<.l0, 2-tailed test
On 4 ..1b11. .....al
1
TABLE 11
Analysis of Variance Between Attitude Toward the Negro Scale
Scores of Subgroups of Student Teachers Selected by
Ratings on Student Teaching Behavior Characteristics
Student Teaching
Rating
N Attitude Toward the
F
Behavior
Subgroup
Euro Scple'Score
Characteristic
TC
SD
Assumes
Responsibility. Strength
20
7.88
1.10
2.78#
Weakness
5
7.34
0.41
Not Specified
90 8.35
1.20
Accepts
Constructive
Criticism
Strength
36
8.45 0.98
Weakness
3
6.90
1.71
Not Specified
76 8.17
1.22
.2.67#
#p<.l0, 2-tailed test
441WINA
AM.
TABLE 12
Significance of Mean Differences Between General Ethnic
Distance Scores of Subgroups of Student Teachers Selected by
Ratings on Student Teaching Behavior Characteristics
Student Teaching
Behavior
Characteristic
Rating Subgroup
Prejudice Score
df
SD
Presentation -
Communication
Strength 1.52
0.39 100 1.85#
Not Specified
algmlimuraINMEN...
1.73
0.75
Enthusiasm
Strength 1.45
0.39
109
2.34#
Not Specified
1.70
0.65
Professional
Attitudes
Strength 1.42 0.34
112
2.02#
Not Specified
1.65
0.60
Sense of
Humor
Strength
1.32
0.37
113
1.82#
Not Specified
1.62
0.51
#p<.10, 2-tailed test
TABLE 13
Significance of Mean Differences Between Attitude Toward
the Negro Scale Scores of Subgroups of Student
Teachers
Selected by Ratings on Student Teaching Behavior
Characteristics
Student Teaching
Rating Subgroup
Prejudice Score
df
t
Behavior
Characteristic
X
SD
Assumes
Responsibility
Weakness
7.34
0.41
93 1.85#
Not Specified
8.35 1.20
Accepts Constructive
Criticism
Weakness
Not Specified
6.90
8.17
1.71 77 1.71#
1.22
Accepts Constructive
Criticism
Strength
Weakness
8.45
0.98
37
2.40+
6.90
1.71
#p<.10, 2-tailed test
+p<.05, 2-tailed test
41.