Through the eyes of my peers: Sharing perceptions of unequal treatment in ethno-racially diverse classrooms.

Abstract

Objectives: Perceptions of unequal treatment, especially when shared, can challenge the status-quo. Starting from the social grounding of shared perceptions, we ask when perceptions of inequality align and converge in ethno-racially diverse peer groups. We are especially interested when perceptions are shared among peers across ethno-racial group boundaries. Social-psychological research suggests asymmetric sharing: Ethno-racial minority group members often see less inequality with more majority contact, while in some cases ethno-racial majority members perceive more inequality with more minority contact. Therefore, we ask if perceptions of inequality are shared across minority and majority groups within time and if perceptions of inequality converge over time.

Method: We focus on schools as sites of inequality and cross-group interactions. First, we tested our predictions with 290 minority and 468 majority youth in 53 classes in the United States using multilevel modelling. Next, we implemented follow-up studies in Belgium with 1,800 minority and 1,700 majority adolescents in 433 classes using longitudinal multilevel models.

Results: In line with intragroup sharing, minority and majority youth shared their minority and majority peers' perceptions of inequality, respectively. Furthermore, we documented cross-group sharing: Majority youth also shared their minority peers' perceptions, especially in contexts with higher minority proportions.

Conclusions: We found consistent evidence of sharing minority perceptions, so that both majority and minority youth would see inequality through their minority peers' eyes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).