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DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

In "Critical Race Theory, Racial Microaggressions, and Campus Racial Climate for Latina/o Undergraduates" the author Tara J. Yosso, et al, looks at microaggression towards Latina/o students through the lens of the Critical Race Theory and examines their response when confronted with microaggression. The Critical Race Theory explains "how the social construct of race shapes university structures, practices, and discourses from the perspectives of those injured by and fighting against institutional racism." Using this theory the authors examine racial microaggressions, subtle put downs that at first seem harmless but constant exposure can lead to a person's decrease in confidence and morality. The three different types of microaggression that are looked at in this study are interpersonal microaggressions, racial jokes, and institutional microaggression. Interpersonal microaggressions are "verbal and nonverbal racial affronts directed at Latinas/os from students, faculty, teaching assistants, or other individuals in academic and social spaces.Racial jokes on the other hand are often used by the white counterpart on campus and are often seen as harmless. Lastly, institutional microaggressions are similar as interpersonal microaggression only it is caused by the local culture, organizations or even the university itself. The authors of this research study had noticed there were very few qualitative research studies on the topic so they decided to add on to it by using focus groups to further their understanding. Using thirty-seven Latina/o college students that were separated into eight different focus groups. The researchers discovered some of the insinuations racial microaggression has on Latinas/os and that the Latinas/os that face racial microaggression often feel like their presences are rejected and not welcomed in their University.

 

Like my study, the researchers took a qualitative research approach to it. The study, also like mine, used a focus group to gather human experiences to find an answer instead of just finding it in a book. The researchers took college students who attended either private or public colleges for more than one year and using specific criteria they weeded out thirty-seven young adults. This group contained both males and females, but they were all Latinos. They split these thirty-seven participants into eight focus groups each containing three to six participants. Each focus group lasted about 90 minutes and, at least, two of the researchers were there at a time to facilitate the focus group. The questions that were asked were organized into five different categories in order to better be able to analyze the data. Although both the researchers from this study and I used the same qualitative method to obtain answers there were many differences between actually putting the method into action. The only similarities between both methods are the reasoning for using a focus group, the fact that both studies used college students from public colleges, and the size of the individual focus group. Apart from those three things, the use of a focus group was implemented in two completely different ways. 

 

Although the researchers of this study were conducting it on a much larger scale compared to mine, I could take a couple pointers to better my research study now and any future research studies I may have. One of the best things I liked about this study is the diversity in the group. The researchers used criteria to make sure the focus groups were diverse and would be able to give the answers necessary to reach a conclusion by the end of the study. My focus group consisted of only males, although my study had nothing to do with differences in sexes, perhaps a female's perspective could have changed the conclusions to my study. Perhaps it is something I can add on in the future.     

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.