Reducing racial prejudice in Chittagong Hill Tracts through contact-based intervention

Abstract

Racial prejudice impacts people irrespective of age, gender, geographical location, and socioeconomic status. Therefore, the study of racial prejudice including the reduction of racial prejudice has gained considerable attention across the world. However, little research exists on reducing racial prejudice in Bangladesh, especially among the children in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) context. The present study aimed to test the efficacy of a prejudice reduction strategy named the Jigsaw classroom intervention. The study involved two phases. First, the development and adaptation of the psychometric measures used as outcome indicators. The second is the implementation of the Jigsaw classroom intervention. Most of the items for the principal measure i.e., the Racial Prejudice Scale for Children were selected from an existing scale. A total of 298 participants were purposefully recruited for testing different psychometric characteristics of the items and the scale. With 17 retained items, the newly developed Racial Prejudice Scale for Children demonstrated acceptable Cronbach‟s alpha, (α= .811), adequate test-retest reliability (r= .69, p< .01), and criterion-related validity, (r= -.43, p< .01). The scale demonstrates a three-factor structure namely acceptance, egalitarianism, and compatibility which were considered three subscales of the racial prejudice scale. A few additional instruments such as the Friendliness Scale Self-esteem Questionnaire, Liking for School, Perceived Liking by Peers, and Perceived Efficacy for Peer Teaching were either developed afresh or translated from the previous study. The suitability of item selection and translations were evaluated by an expert panel comprised of mental health professionals. The second phase of the study involved the development and implementation of the Jigsaw classroom intervention. A mixed-race school in the CHT was purposefully chosen to v implement the intervention. A total of 154 students aged 11-15 were randomly assigned to the experimental and control group from two sections of Grade VI. Pre-assessment with the outcome measures was carried out before the intervention took place. A standardized textbook was used as intervention material spreading through 12 sessions. Post-assessment was carried out after two and half months of completing the intervention. The results indicated a reduction of racial prejudice in the experimental (intervention) group while it increased in the control (non-intervention) group. Additionally, acceptance and liking for school were increased in the experimental group. The remaining outcome measures demonstrated counterintuitive findings. The results can be interpreted as counterintuitive for most of the outcome indicators. They are discussed in the light of contextual understanding of race relations in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region. However, a set of recommendations has been generated to aid the future researcher embarking on testing and implementation of intervention.