ERIC Number: EJ1335816
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 35
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0147-1635
EISSN: N/A
Affect, Fear, and Openness in an Antiracist Writing Classroom
Williams, Amy D.; Johnson, Sarah Kate; Shumway, Anika; Eggett, Dennis L.
Journal of Basic Writing, v40 n1 p33-67 2021
At a time when antiracist teaching is increasingly needed, this article reports on an IRB-approved, mixed-methods study of high school seniors' affective experiences in an antiracist English language arts classroom. We find that students in this study became less scared and more confident writers. They attributed these positive changes to antiracist teaching that was designed to help them develop openness and new perspectives about race, inequality, and social justice. We argue that as students experienced openness as an affective (rather than only cognitive) disposition, they became more comfortable with the fearful affect associated with writing. We suggest that an antiracist curriculum that intentionally attends to openness and affect can confer political, social, intellectual, and emotional benefits; it can also make students less afraid of writing.
Descriptors: High School Seniors, Language Arts, Racial Bias, Social Justice, Consciousness Raising, Affective Behavior, Writing (Composition), Writing Instruction, Fear, Self Efficacy, Grade 12, Ethnic Stereotypes
Journal of Basic Writing. Available from: Sheridan Press. 450 Fame Avenue, Hanover, PA 17331. Tel: 717-632-3535; Fax: 717-633-8920; e-mail: pubsvc.tsp@sheridan.com; Web site: https://wac.colostate.edu/jbw
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education; Grade 12
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Positive and Negative Affect Schedule
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A