Abstract
The study aimed to investigate through mixed methods how White parents approach race discussions with their children, the factors influencing the discussions, and the implications for promoting constructive conversations. The qualitative analysis of the race discussions revealed that White parents preferred ambiguous or scientific language and diverted the discussion to topics other than race, such as gender or general body characteristics. Discussions often involved referencing personal examples of individuals from racial minority backgrounds, even if they were not personally acquainted. The quantitative analysis expanded and clarified these findings, with parent characteristics, such as education level and the frequency of color-evasive messaging being negatively associated with avoidance of race discussions, while racial implicit biases positively related to parental nonengagement but not children's, suggesting that children may not be aware of their parents' discomfort or bias. The study concludes with suggestions for future research, including the need for larger and more diverse samples, longitudinal designs, and investigations into how racial implicit biases and frequency of racial messaging change over time.
Degree
MS
College and Department
Family Life; Family, Home, and Social Sciences
Rights
https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Sheppard, J. Andan, "Does Media Facilitate Parent-Child Race Discussions? A Mixed-Method Study of White Families, Children's Media, and Implicit Bias During Early Childhood" (2023). Theses and Dissertations. 10537.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/10537
Date Submitted
2023-08-11
Document Type
Thesis
Handle
http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd13375
Keywords
media, mixed methods, race, white
Language
english