Interactive Program to Reduce Racial Bias

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project will develop an interactive multimedia program to reduce racial bias among elementary school students. The development of racial bias occurs in early childhood and, if left unaddressed, has serious implications for the social development of children. Because biased racial attitudes are not yet firmly established in young children, elementary schools still have an opportunity to correct these biases. Unfortunately, there is a lack of instructional programs designed to reduce racial bias that are based on developmentally appropriate and empirically proven strategies. A Phase I prototype program for Caucasian and African-American children in grades K-1 will be developed that addresses two major factors that underpin racial bias: basic color bias and perceptual discrimination inadequacies. The program will combine empirically proven instructional design principles with interactive multimedia technology to create a personalized learning experience that will reduce basic color biases and teach perceptual discrimination skills. The program will incorporate computer-based assessment with tailored remediation to ensure content mastery. Phase II development will expand the interactive racial bias reduction program to include materials for Latino, Native American, and Asian/Pacific Islander children in grades K-5. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: NOT AVAILABLE