Dean and Nestor, Supplementary Materials from 'Assessing Outcomes on an Antiracism Unit in a Required First-Year Seminar at a PWI,' in The Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 2024.
Appendix A: Survey Instruments
Student Surveys
Student - Initial Survey Questions (not repeated on the post- survey)
Demographic variables:
- Name (swapped for a numeric key so all respondents remained anonymous to the researchers)
- Age
- Race (standard racial categories)
- Gender (M/F/Non-binary)
- Parents'/Guardians' Edu Levels
- First-year/Soph/Jun/Sen
- Intl. Student Status (yes/no)
- How would you feel about having a close friend of another race?
- Not Acceptable/Somewhat Acceptable/Acceptable/Desirable/Not Sure
- How would you feel about having a job where most employees are of another race than you?
- Not Acceptable/Somewhat Acceptable/Acceptable/Desirable/Not Sure
- What race are your close friends?
- All my race/almost all my race/mostly my race/mostly another race than mine/almost all another race than mine/all another race than mine
- What race are the people in your home neighborhood?
- All my race/almost all my race/mostly my race/mostly another race than mine/almost all another race than mine/all another race than mine
- What race were the students in the high school where you spent the most time?
- All my race/almost all my race/mostly my race/mostly another race than mine/almost all another race than mine/all another race than mine
- What do you believe the role of college education is in engaging students on issues surrounding race and diversity? [open-ended]
Student Survey – Administered on both initial and end-of-semester surveys
Experiences:
- How often do you do things (like having a conversation, eating together, playing sports) with people of other races?
- Not at all/A little/Some/a lot
- In the last year, how often have you discussed race with other people?
- Almost every day / once a week / occasionally / a couple times / never
- I am comfortable talking about race in class discussions.
- Strongly disagree / Disagree / Agree / Strongly Agree
- If you indicated you were uncomfortable talking about race in the classroom, what makes you uncomfortable? [open-ended]
Opinions:
- I believe I am aware of how race works in the US.
- Strongly disagree / Disagree / Agree / Strongly Agree
- Do you think that racial and ethnic discrimination in the United States is a problem or not a problem?
- Yes, big problem/Yes, small problem/Yes, but not sure if big or small /No, not a problem/Not sure
- Do you think the Black Lives Matter protests this summer were:
- Fully justified/partially justified/not at all justified?
- How firm are you about your opinion on race relations--would you say you are:
- Very likely to change your opinion/somewhat likely to change/somewhat unlikely to change/very unlikely to change?
- In history classes in high school and college, do the experiences of racial and ethnic minority groups in America receive:
- Too much attention now/too little attention/about the right amount?
- When you think about these changes in the racial and ethnic make-up of the country in the next 25 years, do you think they will be:
- A very good thing for the country, a good thing, neither good nor bad, a bad thing, or a very bad thing?
- Irish, Italian, Jewish, and many other minorities overcame prejudice and worked their way up. Black people should do the same without any special favors.
- Strongly disagree / Disagree / Agree / Strongly Agree
- Generations of slavery and discrimination have created conditions that make it difficult for Black people to work their way out of the lower class.
- Strongly disagree / Disagree / Agree / Strongly Agree
- Over the past few years, Black people have gotten less than they deserve.
- Strongly disagree / Disagree / Agree / Strongly Agree
- It's really a matter of some people just not trying hard enough: if Black people would only try harder they could be just as well off as whites.
- Strongly disagree / Disagree / Agree / Strongly Agree
- Government officials usually pay less attention to a request or complaint from a Black person than from a white person.
- Strongly disagree / Disagree / Agree / Strongly Agree
- Generally, how do you feel about the experiences you've had with people of a race different from yours?
- Very bad/Mostly bad/Neither good or bad/Mostly good/Very good
- Is racism a problem and if so where?
- Racism is not a problem anywhere/ Racism is a problem elsewhere but not in the U.S./ Racism is a problem in the U.S. but not elsewhere / Racism is a problem everywhere
- Do you believe systemic racism exists?
Information:
- Which of the following best describes the science of racial difference?
- Racial groups are differentiated biologically based on muscle and bone structures / Racial groups differentiated biologically based on genetic sequences / Racial groups are not differentiated biologically but rather by social definitions
- Which of the following best describes the average amount of wealth that white and Black people have accumulated?
- White and Black people have nearly the same amount of average wealth / White people have double the amount of wealth that Black people have / White people have four times the amount of wealth that Black people have / White people have over ten times the amount of wealth that Black people have
- Which of the following best describes drug usage rates by race?
- Black and Hispanic people are 25% more likely than whites to use drugs / Whites are 25% more likely than Black and Hispanic people to use drugs / White, Black, and Hispanic people are all equally like to use drugs
- Which of the following best describe the distribution of educational resources?
- Public funding for high schools is allocated evenly for all students, regardless of race / White students, on average, receive more public school funding than Black and Hispanic students / Because of affirmative action, Black and Hispanic students receive more public school funding than white students
- The primary effect of voter ID laws has been which of the following?
- Reducing voter fraud / Reducing turnout of Black and Hispanic voters / Reducing turnout of voters of all races
- Statistics on incarceration reveal which of the following?
- Black and Hispanic people are four times as likely as whites to be incarcerated / Black and Hispanic people are ten times as likely as whites be incarcerated / Black, Hispanic, and white people are equally as likely to be incarcerated
- Instructor/class meeting time
Students – End-of-semester survey only
OWU Campus Climate:
- What are your impressions of the OWU campus climate when it comes to race?
- How did the 2020 election affect the OWU campus climate?
- Positively/Neither positively or negatively/negatively
- Explain your response to the previous question.
Diversity Component:
- I felt comfortable contributing to the group discussion when addressing readings from How to be an Antiracist.
- Strongly Disagree / Disagree / Agree / Strongly Agree
- My contributions to class discussions on How to be an Antiracist were respected.
- Strongly Disagree / Disagree / I did not contribute / Agree / Strongly Agree
- How did you feel the diversity component (reading Kendi book, journaling, class discussions) went? Please share your thoughts. [open-ended]
- What do you feel you learned because of the diversity component, if anything?
- Did the diversity component affect your satisfaction with your choice of [higher education institution]?
- Yes, it made me more satisfied with my choice/it neither made me more or less satisfied/yes, it made me less satisfied with my choice.
- Please comment on your response to the previous question. [open-ended]
Instructor Surveys
Instructor Survey – Pre-Survey
- Name (swapped for a numeric key so all respondents remained anonymous to the researchers)
- How many times have you previously taught [this course]?
- Which academic division are you from?
- Natural Sciences / Social Sciences / Humanities / Arts / Non-faculty Staff
- Race (standard categories)
- Gender (M/F/non-binary)
- In the last year, how many courses have you taught where race was the focus of at least one topic of the course?
- How do you perceive your level of experience when it comes to discussing issues surrounding race in the classroom?
- Very experienced/experienced/neither experienced or inexperienced/inexperienced/very inexperienced
- Do you think about race when building the courses you traditionally teach?
- Yes, a lot/Yes, a little/Neutral/Not much/Not at all/Not sure
- Do you intentionally include authors/readings from different racial backgrounds?
- Yes/Sometimes/No/Not Sure
- Do you feel you know the appropriate/inclusive terminology to use in the classroom?
- Always/Most of the time/some of the time/not at all
- How comfortable do you feel with your ability to address students who make problematic comments?
- Very comfortable/usually comfortable/neither comfortable or uncomfortable/usually uncomfortable/very uncomfortable
- To what degree do you feel you can recognize and confront your own biases surrounding racial issues in the classroom?
- I am certain I can do so/I feel I can usually do so/I am not sure I can do so/I cannot do so
- How supportive do you feel of the decision to include the Kendi reading in [this course] this semester?
- Very supportive/supportive/neither supportive or not supportive/somewhat unsupportive/very unsupportive
- Please share your thoughts/concerns about the chosen reading. [open-ended]
- Please share your thoughts/concerns about the planned approach surrounding the diversity assignment this semester. [open-ended]
- f any, what additional resources or trainings would have helped you to better prepare for teaching with the Kendi book and addressing issues of race in [this course]? [open-ended]
- Other/open comments
Instructors – Post-Survey
- How do you perceive your level of experience when it comes to discussing issues surrounding race in the classroom?
- Very experienced/experienced/neither experienced or inexperienced/inexperienced/very inexperienced
- Do you feel you know the appropriate/inclusive terminology to use in the classroom?
- Always/Most of the time/some of the time/not at all
- How comfortable do you feel with your ability to address students who make problematic comments?
- Very comfortable/usually comfortable/neither comfortable or uncomfortable/usually uncomfortable/very uncomfortable
- After teaching this course, do you feel more or less comfortable addressing issues of race in the classroom?
- More comfortable/³Ô¹ÏÍø the same/Less comfortable
- Please comment on the response to the previous question. [open-ended]
- Now that the semester is over, how supportive do you feel of the decision to include the Kendi reading this semester?
- Very supportive/supportive/neither supportive or not supportive/somewhat unsupportive/very unsupportive
- Please comment on the response you provided to the previous question. [open-ended]
- Keeping the diversity assignment, reading, and activities in mind, please share your experience in the classroom this fall. Were there things that went well? Not well? [open-ended]
- What recommendations would you make for improving the approach to the diversity assignment in the future? [open-ended]