Estimating the effects of an anti-racist intervention on campus administrators’ beliefs about racial equity and justice: a quasi-experimental study

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to measure the impact of a novel anti-racist educational video-based intervention designed by the author, with advice from leading experts, on campus administrators’ prevailing beliefs, philosophies and practices about racial equity and justice. A single research question guided the project: what effect, if any, does an anti-racist educational intervention have on college administrators’ awareness, beliefs and knowledge about race (i.e. racial ideologies), equity-mindedness and justice, compared to peers in two control groups? Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on a study that employs a quasi-experimental approach, using a pre- and post-test design, to assess the impact of a brief video intervention on college administrators’ awareness, beliefs, and knowledge about anti-racism generally and racial ideologies, equity-mindedness and justice orientations specifically. Findings Multivariate analyses suggest the efficacy and effectiveness of the novel anti-racist educational video-based intervention in increasing campus administrators’ racial consciousness, empathy, understanding and equity-mindedness, although no effect was found for justice orientations. Practical implications As colleges and universities continue to work toward creating inclusive and equitable workspaces and learning environments, this study suggests that targeted interventions can be used to promote important values and beliefs among campus administrators. Specifically, video-based interventions may be useful tools for staff development programs, implicit bias trainings, diversity and inclusion initiatives, graduate education courses, leadership fellowships, upskilling and micro-credentials, to name a few. Originality/value This paper fills an identified need to study anti-racism among campus administrators, the efficacy of scalable interventions that can be easily adapted or integrated into existing campus/staff programming and ways to foster anti-racist awareness, knowledge and actions.