Improving Intergroup Relations in Higher Education: A Critical Examination of the Influence of Educational Interventions on Racial Bias

Abstract

This study examines the influence of various educational interventions in higher education on students’ racial bias. The author reviews studies in four principle domains: multicultural courses, diversity workshops and training, peer-based interventions, and service-based interventions. He pays particular attention to the varied approaches, measures, and research designs used to assess the effectiveness of interventions. He concludes with specific recommendations for improving the quality of intervention studies, suggests a conceptual model for explaining student change, and points out gaps in the extant knowledge base. An appendix provides an overview of racial bias measures used in the reviewed studies.