Representing and Validating Minority Cultures: The Role of Vicarious Experience of Friendship in Improving Attitudes Towards Irish Travellers

Author(s):

Maeve Dupont(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2017

Network:

Emerging Researchers' Group (for presentation at Emerging Researchers' Conference)

Format:

Paper

Session Information

ERG SES C 12, Culture and Education

Paper Session

Time:

2017-08-21

11:00-12:30

Room:

W4.21

Chair:

Janinka Greenwood

Contribution

The research investigated the impact of a school-based storytelling intervention on children’s attitudes towards Traveller Irish children-an indigenous minority ethnic group in the Republic of Ireland with a long history of marginalisation (Devine, Kenny and McNeela, 2004; Kelleher et al., 2010; Lodge and Lynch, 2003; MacGreil, 2010; O’Keefe and O’Connor, 2001; Vazquez de la Torre Castillo, 2012). Specifically, children from the majority ingroup (settled Irish) were interviewed about their attitudes towards Traveller Irish children (the target minority outgroup) before and after the intervention. Their intended friendship behaviour towards Travellers and their perceptions of the acceptability of intergroup friendship were also examined.

The aim of the research was to test the extended contact hypothesis which suggests that more favourable intergroup attitudes might result from “vicarious” experience of friendship, that is, knowledge of ingroup members being friends with outgroup members (Cameron, Rutland, Brown and Douch, 2006; Wright, Aron, Mclaughlin-Volpe, & Ropp, 1997). There is evidence to support the extended contact hypothesis with adults (Paolini, Hewstone, Cairns and Voci, 2004) adolescents (Turner, Hewstone, Voci and Vonofakou, 2005) and also children (Cameron &Rutland, 2006; Cameron, Rutland, Brown and Douch, 2006). In a series of studies conducted by Cameron and colleagues, children read stories featuring ingroup and outgroup children in friendship contexts. Extended contact led to improved attitudes towards children with disabilities and refugees (Cameron &Rutland, 2006; Cameron, et al., 2006)

One limitation identified by Cameron, Rutland and Brown (2007) was that children’s attitudes towards refugees and disabled targets were relatively positive at the outset of the study. Hence, the author wished to test whether extended contact would be effective at changing more negative outgroup attitudes-namely attitudes towards Irish Travellers.

Method

118 primary school pupils took part in the study. They were aged between 8 and 12 years old with an average age of 10. Each participant was randomly assigned to either a control or experimental group. Pre and post-tests were administered that measured their intergroup attitudes, their intended friendship behaviour and their perceived norms about the acceptability of cross group friendships. Children in the experimental group read three stories about a Settled Irish child in a friendship context with a Traveller Irish child. The control group participants read the same stories but the ethnicity of the characters was never mentioned. There were six storytelling sessions that took place over a period of three weeks

Expected Outcomes

There was no significant difference between the control group and the experimental group in terms of attitudes towards Irish Travellers. However the findings in relation to intended friendship and perceived norms about cross group friendships were more promising. There was a significant difference between the control group and the experimental group in terms of their intended friendship behaviour towards Travellers. The experimental group showed greater willingness to engage in friendship with Irish Travellers. There was also a significant difference between the control group and the experimental group in terms of perceived norms of cross group friendships. The experimental group indicated a greater acceptance of cross group friendships. These findings have implications for representing and validating minority cultures in the curriculum. All children might benefit from reading works that show members of ethnic groups coping with the kinds of problems or situations that may arise in the lives of many human beings and have little to do with ethnicity.

References

Cameron, J.A., & Rutland, A. (2006). Extended contact through story reading in school: Reducing children's prejudice towards the disabled. Journal of Social Issues, 62, 469-488 Cameron, L., Rutland, A., Bronw, R. & Douch, R. (2006). Changing children's intergroup attitudes towards refugees: Testing different models of extended contact. Child Development, 77, 1208-1219 MacGréil, M. (2010). Emancipation of the Travelling People. 2010. Wright, S.C., Aron, A., McLaughling-Volpe, T. & Ropp, S.A. (1997) The extended contact effect: Knowledge of cross-group friendships and prejudice. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73, 73-90

Author Information

Maeve Dupont (presenting / submitting)

Institute of Education, Dublin City University

School of Human Development

Dublin

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