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Applying the Bystander Intervention Model to Racial Microaggressions in College Students

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Abstract

We propose an innovative approach to studying interventions in racial microaggression by applying the five-step bystander intervention model (i.e., Notice the Event, Interpret the Event as Needing Intervention, Accept Responsibility, Know How to Intervene, and Act). The goals were to develop a measure of bystander intervention in racial microaggressions, explore support for a conceptual model, and measure differences between Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and White college students. The sample consisted of 336 BIPOC and 191 White participants ages 18 to 25. Participants completed online surveys reporting their engagement in each of the five steps. We found that—overall—BIPOC and White participants have similar experiences with bystander intervention in racial microaggressions. There was evidence of measurement invariance across BIPOC and White participants for the survey, similar paths between the steps on the conceptual model, and similar frequency of engagement on each of the steps. Implications for practice, research, teaching, and advocacy are provided.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Educational Psychology and Learning Systems, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA

    Lyndsay Jenkins, Laura Reid Marks & Khyati Verma

  2. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA

    Lara Perez-Felkner, Da’Shay Portis Templeton & Joshlyn Thomas

  3. Educational Leadership, California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, USA

    Da’Shay Portis Templeton

  4. College of the Arts, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA

    Joshlyn Thomas

Authors
  1. Lyndsay Jenkins
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  5. Da’Shay Portis Templeton
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Correspondence to Lyndsay Jenkins.

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Research Involving Human Participants

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Active consent was obtained for all individual participants included in the study. Passive parental consent and student assent were obtained as described in the Procedures section.

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Jenkins, L., Marks, L.R., Perez-Felkner, L. et al. Applying the Bystander Intervention Model to Racial Microaggressions in College Students. Int Journal of Bullying Prevention (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42380-024-00216-x

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