Identifier

etd-03292011-190359

Degree

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

The overrepresentation of African Americans in special education is a problem that has plagued the field since its inception, yet very little progress has been made in alleviating the issue. The problem is especially troubling because of the host of negative outcomes associated with special education in general, as well as placing African American students into special education specifically. The current study sought to examine the contribution of implicit racial stereotypes to the overrepresentation problem. Participants were randomly assigned to conditions where they viewed vignettes about either an African American or Caucasian problem student, after which they completed a questionnaire about their willingness to refer the student for special education services and they completed the Implicit Association Test. The results indicated that the two groups did not differ in their referral ratings, and higher implicit stereotype scores as measured by the Implicit Association Test were not associated with higher referral ratings in the African American student condition.

Date

2011

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Frank Gresham

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.2262

Included in

Psychology Commons

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