Examining Changes in Implicit Racial Bias Among Pre-Service Teachers: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Translate Article

This pilot study examined the implicit racial biases of pre-service teachers using the Race-based Implicit Association Test (RA-IAT) administered before and after a course focused on racial inequity and the unseen power structures that sustain systemic oppression in schools and society.Paired-samples t-tests and ANCOVA results did not yield statistically significant changes in RA-IAT dscores for the intervention group of pre-service teachers.However, the intervention group demonstrated a more consistent trend toward reduced bias, suggesting that the absence of significant findings may reflect the small effect sizes typically associated with shifts in implicit measures, particularly within a restricted range of scores and the limited statistical power in a modest sample size.The emerging pattern of bias reduction is encouraging and highlights the need for future research with larger cohorts.