Studies on race and learning

While I can understand why these two experiments were conducted and the methodology behind them, I still take some issue with their findings. In the experiment featured in the reading “Other Mothering”, the findings were that African American students had certain expectations about how student-faculty relationships should be. Guiffrida writes about the history of other mothering throughout African American culture since the time of slavery. I feel that the experiment jumped to this conclusion and tried to make the data fit into this idea. When he was describing the expectations of the African American students it felt like he was generalizing and made them seem like they needed extra attention, something I don’t think is true at all. I realize that some felt that white faculty made them feel inferior by praising small achievements, and I also realize how some African American faculty pushed the students more than others. While I am not sure why the students in the study held their views, I don’t think it is simple as grouping them into certain cultural expectations.


In the study featured in Opposition to Engagement the students talked about teachers, but not in terms of their race, just in terms of their effectiveness. Although they were interviewing African American students I completely identified with everything that they were saying about their high school teachers. They liked it when the teachers related the material to their lives, when they challenged them to think critically and when the teacher seemed like they wanted to be there. These are all obvious things that all students expect, so I really do not think that this explains anything having to do with race. I was surprised by the quote in the conclusion that said, “Additional research is necessary to determine if these findings are generalizable to other students.” Does the researcher think that white or Hispanic students are going to think that teachers who fall asleep in class are helpful? I think that the researcher felt that students of different races learn differently which I find to be ridiculous.