Developing Multicultural Awareness in Preschool Children: A Pilot Intervention

The increasing diversity of the U.S. population presents a need to address developing stereotypes. Racial and ethnic attitudes and biases can develop at young ages. The current study examined a pilot classroom intervention, which exposed preschool children to different cultures and considered the intervention’s influence on racial attitudes. Sixteen preschool students in two classrooms were randomly assigned to the experimental condition, multicultural themed lessons, or the control condition, animal themed lessons. Attitudes about children of various ethnicities were assessed before and after the intervention. Variables considered included same group bias and outgroup bias. The results indicated that children who received the multicultural intervention changed favorably their attitudes towards children of other ethnicities compared to children who did not receive the experimental intervention. This study demonstrates that attitudes and biases towards others may be influenced through early education and increased awareness.