A Systematic Review of Experimental Studies Evaluating Antiracist Program Techniques for Children and Adolescents

Abstract:This systematic review synthesizes studies that used experimental designs to evaluate techniques theorized to foster the development of antiracism among youth in school settings (19 published reports; 23 independent studies; participant ages 3–19 years old, primarily White). Our goal herein was to identify unique program components, design elements, and outcome measures; and to critically evaluate the existing studies in terms of potential public health impact. A number of specific programming elements were distilled that may be included in future interventions. Overall, interventions that leveraged cognitive and educational components to help increase positive outgroup contact seemed most promising. However, most of the studies testing such programs lacked methodological robustness (e.g., probable gaps in internal validity from the absence of intervention manuals or equivalent, fidelity checks, reliance on outcome measures with unknown psychometric properties, and follow-up designs). Future research would benefit from establishing adherence to implementation (fidelity to protocol), including pre, post, and follow-up assessments, as well as using outcome measures appropriate for determining both short-term and long-term change. There is a clear need for the funding of technique development, manualized programming for delivery, rigorous evaluation of these with standardized outcome measures, and adequately powered studies testing outcomes across development.