An Investigation of Student Roles within Small, Racially Mixed Science Groups: A racial perspective

Abstract

Achievement disparities among racial groups attest to the elusiveness of the ‘science for all’ goal, an emphasis of reform efforts in the USA. One popular approach to making science accessible to all is group work. The study investigated roles attained by five African American and six European‐American eighth graders working in small, racially mixed groups. What roles did the African‐American and European‐American students attain in the small, racially mixed science groups? Did race‐associated patterns of role attainment exist? If so, what was the nature of the patterns? Roles were derived and patterns examined via the qualitative and quantitative analyses of videotaped group interactions. The findings indicated that European‐Americans attained roles more frequently than their African‐American counterparts of comparable abilities and whiteness operated in the small groups. The findings imply racial inequities in group work and the need for teachers to consider race when employing it.

Acknowledgements

Susan Butler, Glenda Carter, Lynnae Flint, Angelia Reid‐Griffin, Leigh Ann Haefner, John Park, and David Slykuis assisted in the collection of data. The project from which this study is a part was described in an article published in the journal Action in Teacher Education.