Deliberation and Diversity: Perceptions of Small Group Discussions by Race and Ethnicity

Abstract

One of the challenges facing public deliberation scholars and practitioners is to identify deliberative processes that address inequities in interaction and foster active participation among all members of ethnically or racially diverse groups. This study draws from cocultural communication theory and uses mixed methodology to examine the experiences of citizens assigned to racially/ ethnically diverse small groups who participated in “By the People: Dialogues in Democracy”—a national/local initiative and public deliberation event. One hundred participants in a local deliberation in Omaha, Nebraska, completed a postevent questionnaire and 20 participants were subsequently interviewed. Data were analyzed to compare the perceptions of White participants and participants of color (African American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian American). Analysis of variance indicated that participants of color perceived greater communication quality and group effectiveness and experienced more satisfaction with their small groups than did Whites. Both White interviewees and interviewees of color said they valued being exposed to diverse group members and perspectives, the respectful tone of the group interaction, the facilitators’ ability to guide the interaction, and the opportunity to learn. Consistent with cocultural communication theory, participants of color specially praised the equal opportunity to speak in their groups and the experience of being heard. The results fortify the importance for public deliberation practitioners to take concerted steps to ensure racial/ethnic diversity and egalitarian interaction of members in deliberative small groups.

Perceived organizational diversity and employee behavior

“…Individual differences form the basis for organizational diversity and also shape people's perceptions, attitudes, values, beliefs and behaviours. A number of studies (e.g., Abdel-Monem, Bingham, Marincic, & Tomkins, 2010;David A Harrison, Price, Gavin, & Florey, 2002;Jehn & Chatman, 2000;D. C. Lau & Murnighan., 1998;Reagans, 2005) have suggested that similarities in demographic attributes enhance mutual liking and team functioning and that demographic diversity decreases both social interaction and social integration.…”

The Impact of Facilitation on the Quality of Deliberation and Attitude Change

“…The sample’s specific characteristics also include the participants’ equal education level and similar social status. On one hand, this may be an advantage because the participants are more equal and are not distinct concerning social differences; on the other hand, these factors’ influence on the participants’ attitude change and (the perception of) deliberativeness could also be measured in other contexts, as already partly tested (e.g., Abdel-Monem et al, 2010) but again not in similar experimental conditions. Our sample consists of participants from school collectives (preexisting groups), which may have predisposed participants to group interactions, particularly in the non-facilitated groups.…”

“…Only little scholarly attention has been paid to facilitation and its effects in the field of deliberation research. Scholars (e.g., Abdel-Monem, Bingham, Marincic, & Tomkins, 2010; Karpowitz & Mendelberg, 2011; Landwehr, 2014; Setälä & Herne, 2014) recognize the lack of studies testing the effects of facilitation and call for experiments that manipulate facilitation, along with research designs that include control groups without professional facilitation, which would be required for a comprehensive assessment of the effects of facilitation. There is a clear need for randomized experimental research designs with sufficient control on both individual and group levels (Karpowitz & Mendelberg, 2011).…”

Public Engagement in Prioritizing Research Proposals

“…Regardless of how this affects voting outcomes, participating scientists may enhance their science communication skills through seeing the same proposal presented and received via diverse perspectives. Actively acknowledging diversity and its role in decision-making may also improve participants' satisfaction (Abdel-Monem, Bingham, Marincic, & Tomkins, 2010).…”