{"id":3681,"date":"2019-02-18T10:56:50","date_gmt":"2019-02-18T10:56:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/teaching-learning\/?p=3681"},"modified":"2019-02-18T10:56:52","modified_gmt":"2019-02-18T10:56:52","slug":"experiences-in-the-classroom-and-beyond-the-role-of-race-and-ethnicity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/teaching-learning\/2019\/02\/18\/experiences-in-the-classroom-and-beyond-the-role-of-race-and-ethnicity\/","title":{"rendered":"Experiences in the Classroom and Beyond: The Role of Race and Ethnicity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Chetanraj Dhillon, Jennifer Kavanda Ebende, James Esson, Line Nyhagen and Alex Sherred<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the 2017\/2018 academic year, staff and students in the School of Social Sciences conducted a research project on how someone\u2019s race and ethnicity can influence their student experience here at Loughborough University (LU)[i]<\/a>. The rationale for the project was data indicating that a degree attainment gap based on race and ethnicity exists here at LU. The degree attainment gap is \u201cthe difference in \u2018top degrees\u2019 \u2013 a First or 2:1 classification \u2013 awarded to different groups of students[ii]<\/a>. In a previous blog post[iii]<\/a>, Nuzhat Fatima (former Loughborough Student Union Welfare and Diversity Executive Officer) provided an overview of the potential contributors to and implications of this situation for students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our\nstudy aimed to better understand the local factors at LU that may underpin the\ndegree attainment gap between students from different racial and ethnic\nbackgrounds. To achieve this aim, we examined experiences both within and\noutside the classroom, taking into account the specific characteristics of the\nUniversity, including the racial, ethnic and gendered composition of its\nundergraduate student body, the campus environment, and the market town that\nsurrounds it. Crucially, we sought to include perspectives and experiences from\nstudents of white and black and other minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. This\ninclusive approach allowed us to identify perspectives and experiences that may\nbe unique to the BAME student population at LU as well as those that may be\nshared by white and BAME students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\nkey principle within the project was that students themselves are uniquely\npositioned to conduct research on the experiences of students. Therefore, a\nmixed team of BAME and white student researchers were part of the research team\nand helped carry out the data collection. Below, the student researchers provide\nsome reflections on their experiences as part of the project.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chetanraj Dhillon, Geography and Environment<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Why this project?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

There\nwere three key reasons why I wanted to be part of this project. First, by the\ntime I reached the end of my second year studying geography with economics, I\nhad developed a strong interest in pursuing a career in academia. But while my\ngrades indicated that I had pretty good analytical skills, I felt I lacked\npractical insights about what it is like to conduct<\/em> research. Without\nthese insights it was hard to determine whether academia was something I should\npursue as a post-graduate. This project provided a way for me to get this\nfirst-hand experience conducting research. Second, and perhaps more\nimportantly, this project gave me the opportunity to expand upon my knowledge\nof issues about ethnic and racial inequality within higher education, and\ncontribute towards an endeavour which had the potential to significantly\nimprove the wellbeing of current and future students at Loughborough\nUniversity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was it like?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn a word, rewarding. This is not to say that the project did not have its\nchallenges because it did – particularly recruiting participants for the focus\ngroups. But being part of a highly supportive team of researchers where we\nshared ideas and best practice helped me overcome this issue. The project also\nenabled me to critically reflect on my experiences past and current where I was\nthe recipient of hostility or awkwardness, which I could never establish with\ncertainty were the result of pure chance or because of my ethnicity and\nappearance. Discovering that I was not the only one at Loughborough University\nto have had such experiences, nor such burning questions, provided me with a\nsense of comfort. On the one hand, I realised I was right not to assume that\nall these experiences were because of overt racism. On the other hand, my\nexperiences and insights from speaking to participants and the other\nresearchers did point to a concern that ethnic and\/or racial prejudice, whether\nintentional or unintentional, has become commonplace on campus.\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What have you taken away?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

More\nthan I have the space to elaborate on here. In particular, and beyond the\ndevelopment of valuable research experience that provided some useful\ntransferable skills, I have come to better appreciate the wide range of\nexperiences that individuals have while at university, and how these\nexperiences can be impacted \u2013 for better or worse \u2013 by one\u2019s race and\/or\nethnicity. Ultimately, I completed the project with a sense of satisfaction,\nreassured of the value of the work we did, and the necessity of further\nresearch on the topic of race and ethnicity, as well as other diversity factors\nsuch as gender and sexuality that shape someone\u2019s journey through higher\neducation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alex Sherred, Geography and Environment<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Why this project?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Throughout\nmy time at Loughborough studying Geography, I had a keen interest in human\ngeography modules particularly related to issues surrounding ethnicity and\nracial differences. However, due to my desire to fulfil a career as a Meteorologist,\nmost of my modules including my dissertation needed to revolve around physical\ngeography where issues of social difference are not covered. This research project\ncaught my attention because it enabled me to delve into issues on race and\nethnicity outside of my taught modules, but in a context where I would still be\nguided by academic staff who could help me further my knowledge. Also, the\nresearch conducted could in turn could help Loughborough University understand\nstudent perspectives regarding the BME attainment gap within the higher\neducation system, and potentially address issues students are having on account\nof their ethnicity or race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was it like?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Challenging\nand thought-provoking. All the student researchers found it challenging to\nrecruit participants, but an additional area that I found difficult was being\ndiplomatic when analysing and discussing the results. As a white person, I sometimes\nfound it hard to understand the cause of the negative encounters my BAME peers\/participants\nencountered. This was mainly the case where overt racism hadn\u2019t taken place,\nbut perhaps the participant encountered what they perceived to be a\n\u2018micro-aggression\u2019. The difficulty of making sense of these encounters is\nsomething that I discussed in project meetings with the project team,\nespecially Chetanraj. But overall, being part of a project that aimed to gain perspectives\ninto student experiences at Loughborough University from different ethnicities\nand racial perspectives enabled me to reflect upon my own ethnicity and race in\nrelation to those of different ethnic and racial backgrounds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What have you taken away?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A\nmajor outcome I found was that on one hand not one student experience is the\nsame as another student\u2019s experience regardless of ethnic or racial differences,\nbut on the other, someone\u2019s ethnic and racial identity has a significant impact\non their overall experiences at University. On a more personal level, I have\nbecome more conscious of my own ethnic and racial identity as a white person,\nbecause before working on this project I didn\u2019t really think about whiteness as\nan ethnic or racial category.  I am also more\nunderstanding and aware of the challenges and issues that people of ethnic and\nracial minority backgrounds face in higher education and in wider society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jennifer Kavanda Ebende, Politics and International Studies<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Why this project?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Daunting.\nThis was the initial feeling I had when my eyes landed upon the word researcher<\/em>\nin the project proposal and job advert. Before encountering this project, I had\nalways associated the word \u2018research\u2019 with post-graduates and academics. The\nidea of an undergraduate student being a researcher on a funded project was\nunheard of to me, so the chance to take up what seemed like a unique\nopportunity was appealing.  But what really\ndrew me into the project, was the fact that I could see myself in it. The project\nfocused on the degree attainment gap in the Social Sciences, Geography,\nPolitics, History & IR departments here at Loughborough University, with a\nspecial focus on Black and Ethnic minority students \u2013 a category I fall in to.\nIt was touching to see a prestigious University being so proactive in bringing\nabout a change, so much so that I wanted to be a part of that change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was it like?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Being\na student researcher was challenging, but it was the challenge that made the\nexperience worthwhile. I found I had to exercise an immense amount of patience\nwhen searching for students willing to take part in the focus groups. My\nfavourite part of the project was listening to Black students share their\nexperiences of everyday life at Loughborough University, and while I had to maintain\nmy position as focus group moderator, I could often relate to the many\npositives and the few negatives the participants shared within the discussion.\nOne participant recounted an incident when a fellow student made derogatory\ncomments about the food they were cooking. The criticism was because the food\nwas from a different culture<\/em>. This reminded me of a similar situation I\nhad encountered in my first year, but because of becoming desensitized to these\ntypes of encounters I had never given it much thought. But participants\nexpressed that students encounter such micro-aggressions regularly and while\nthis leads to becoming desensitised to them, it adds to a feeling of being out\nof place at Loughborough University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What have you taken away?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In retrospect the project has developed\nme in many ways. My analytical skills were pushed to the limit when analysing\nthe data and contributing to writing the final project report. I also learnt\nhow to conduct a focus group, which involved developing a range of transferable\nskills, such as communication, time management and leadership. I also learnt\nthe importance of being a good listener. It surprised me to hear that the white\nstudents did not regard themselves as belonging to a race per se. This was\ninteresting to me because it almost suggested that anything outside of white\nneeded to be classified, alluding to ideas of it not being \u2018normal\u2019. I did feel\na sympathy for all the participants that were interviewed. I felt a sympathy\nfor the White participants who unknowingly enjoy the fruits of having a\nraceless identity through no fault of their own. I also felt a sympathy for the\nBlack and Ethnic Minority participants, who are frequently met by the\nramifications of having a race. After being a part of the project, I am more\nunderstanding that it is nobody\u2019s fault as to why things are as they are.\nCenturies worth of ill practices perhaps could take just as long to unlearn, and\nmany projects such as this one to dismantle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

[i]<\/a> Contact\npersons for more information: Dr Line Nyhagen (L.Nyhagen@lboro.ac.uk<\/a>) and Dr\nJames Esson (J.Esson@lboro.ac.uk<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[ii]<\/a> The\nEquality Challenge Unit – https:\/\/www.ecu.ac.uk\/guidance-resources\/student-recruitment-retention-attainment\/student-attainment\/degree-attainment-gaps\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[iii]<\/a> http:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/teaching-learning\/2017\/06\/15\/degree-attainment-gaps\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chetanraj Dhillon, Jennifer Kavanda Ebende, James Esson, Line Nyhagen and Alex Sherred During the 2017\/2018 academic year, staff and students in the School of Social Sciences conducted a research project on how someone\u2019s race and ethnicity can influence their student experience here at Loughborough University (LU)[i]. The rationale for the project was data indicating thatRead more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":211,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/teaching-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/teaching-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/teaching-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/teaching-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/211"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/teaching-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3681"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/teaching-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3681\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3692,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/teaching-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3681\/revisions\/3692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/teaching-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/teaching-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/teaching-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}