An Investigation of Racial Attitudes Among White Pre-Service Teachers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine White American prospective teachers' racial attitudes about African Americans. In the age of multiculturalism, it is important to address the issue of racism and racial attitudes among educators. Racism continues to influence many aspects of American society, particularly education. Though the face of racism has changed from its blatant forms, it is now manifested in more subtle forms, and has thus been named "new" racism. This study investigated the level of "new" racism among White American prospective teachers enrolled in a teacher education program. Jacobson's "New" Racism Scale was used to determine the level of "new" racism. The results of the study suggest that there is a need to further investigate racist attitudes among prospective teachers.