Microaggressions in social work classrooms: Recognition and responses of BSW bystanders

ABSTRACT

The social work profession is grounded in social justice, and yet, social work education can perpetuate dynamics of oppression and privilege present in the larger society. As a result, students may experience microaggressions during their training. In this national survey of BSW students (N = 795), 24.9% witnessed a microaggression by a social work instructor. Students who noticed microaggressions were more likely to have experienced a microaggression themselves. They also were more likely to have a disability or identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual. A qualitative analysis showed that most microaggressions occurred when an instructor dismissed or devalued students’ backgrounds. Implications for encouraging social work students to become “upstander”s are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Microaggressions
• social work education
• BSW programs
• social justice
• diversity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).