Improving children’s attitudes toward refugees: An evaluation of a school-based multicultural curriculum and an anti-racist intervention

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Abstract

We evaluated the impact of the Friendship Project, a program designed to improve elementary school children’s attitudes toward refugees. Participants either received 4 weekly lessons based on the program, or they received no lessons. All participants completed attitude measures before and after implementation of the program. Half completed the post-test 1 week after completion of the program, while the other half completed the post-test 7 weeks after its completion. The program led to more positive attitudes toward refugees in the short term, but not in the long term. Moreover, although it did not increase empathy, the program increased the proportion of participants who preferred an acculturation strategy of integration and reduced the number of participants who had conflictual acculturative fit.

Citation

Relevant Evidence Summaries

The evidence was reviewed and included in the following summaries: 

What works to build welcoming and inclusive communities?

Numerous interventions to build welcoming and inclusive communities are available, with varying degrees of evidence of effectiveness. Strong evidence supports the effectiveness of structured, facilitated contact-based interventions and bystander interventions in reducing ethnic prejudice and improving well-being of people targeted by racism. Suggestive evidence specific to foreign-born groups is consistent with these findings. Strong evidence […]

About this study

AGE: Multiple Age Groups

DIRECTION OF EVIDENCE: Inconclusive or mixed impact

FULL TEXT AVAILABILITY: Free

GENDER: All

HOST COUNTRY: United Kingdom

HOST COUNTRY INCOME: High

INTERVENTION DURATION: 4 weeks

INTERVENTION: School-based anti-bias program

OUTCOME AREA: Inclusive Communities

POPULATION: LGBTQI+ Clients

REGION OF ORIGIN OF PARTICIPANT(S): Multiple Regions

STRENGTH OF EVIDENCE: Suggestive

TYPE OF STUDY: Suggestive evidence

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2008

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