The Impact of Education Interventions on Individuals' Racial Essentialism: Curriculum, Lasting Effect, and Students' Prior Knowledge

Racial essentialism (the belief that race is a predetermined essence) promotes prejudice and violence. How can education reduce racial essentialism? This mixed-methods study will investigate whether education interventions reduce college students' racial essentialism, whether reduction varies for different interventions, and whether and how students' pre-intervention knowledge about race influences reduction.