A Scoping Review Protocol of Anti-Racist Interventions in Higher Education: Implications for Social Work

Overview: The presentation describes a scoping review protocol for anti-racism training in higher education. The scoping review collected, and mapped existing evidence about organizational opportunities to facilitate anti-racism in higher education Attendees will explore the application of evidence-informed literature to transform their own institutions.Proposal text: The 2022 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) requires programs to Engage Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Practice. However, many deans, program directors, faculty, field directors, faculty field liaisons and field instructors are not adequately prepared through their current institutional training mechanisms to assist students in understanding the pervasive impact of systemic racism. Further, many social work educators are often ill-equipped to train students to develop practice skills with clients who are Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) or discover how racially unjust practices are embedded in the work of human service agencies.

Moreover, very little is currently known about the impact of anti-racism training on improving outcomes in higher education settings. Several scoping reviews have recently detailed inclusive classroom practices (Finkelstein et al., 2021) and pedagogical strategies (Stentiford & Koutsouris, 2021) used by instructors in higher education settings. To date, no scoping or systemic reviews have been conducted to map available evidence on anti-racist organizational strategies in higher education. Recently published scoping reviews on anti-racism interventions in healthcare settings (Hassen et al, 2021; Scott et al., 2021) provide additional methodological and conceptual guidance for conducting similar mapping studies on interventions in other sectors. Further, Critical Race Theory (CRT) is the ideal theoretical framework for social workers to understand racial inequality as endemic within U.S. culture and seek to challenge, dismantle and ultimately re-build systems and promote equity and justice. Within the framework of CRT, the lived experiences of BIPOC are legitimated and validated (Constance-Huggins, 2019), thus their experiences with oppression must be at the center of forming new approaches to dismantling institutional constraints (Ortiz & Jani, 2010).

Research Method

The objective of the scoping review was to evaluate organizational opportunities to facilitate anti-racism in higher education including training involving faculty development initiatives (hiring, retention, mentoring, promotion and tenure, funding, pay equity, leadership development, learning communities, micro grants), and student development strategies (recruitment, retention, mentoring, scholarships/funding). Scoping reviews can be used as a powerful methodological tool for identifying, and mapping the existing qualitative and quantitative literature. In this presentation, a scoping review protocol is presented, based on the framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley (2005), to answer the following research question: What empirical evidence currently exists on the design and impact (outcomes) of anti-racism training in higher education? The scoping review was performed through several electronic databases. Further, the review adheres to the PRISMA Statement Extension for Scoping Reviews [PRISMA-SCR].

Significance for Social Work Education

Social work educators require access to systematically collected and reviewed information regarding anti-racism training in higher education. Social work education can benefit from the findings of other disciplines as it develops anti-racist organizational cultures within the academy and social work practice environments.