School Social Workers' Perceptions of Microaggression in K-8 School Settings: An Exploratory Study

Background and Purpose:  Microaggressions are intentional and unintentional verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative  slights and insults towards racial/ethnic minorities or other socially marginalized people. In contrast to overt discrimination, microaggressions are often subtle and difficult to interpret, which may cause more distress than more explicit expressions of prejudice.  Microaggressions are associated with adverse outcomes, including stress, depressive symptoms, and erosion of positive affect. To date, most studies of microaggression have focused on adults. Although research has documented the harmful effects of microaggression among adolescents and young adults, there has been little work on migroaggressions towards children. This study explored children’s and young adolescents’ experiences with microaggressions from the perspectives of school social workers.  Qualitative data were collected through interviews with school social workers, because of their knowledge of the phenomenon and ability to provide broad descriptions of microaggression among children in school settings.

Methods: For this exploratory study, 10 clinically licensed school social workers were interviewed about their perceptions of children’s experiences with microaggressions in K-8 school settings.  Utilizing a grounded theory approach, data were first analyzed using open coding in which emerging concepts were identified and labeled.  Next, data were analyzed using a selective coding method whereby the themes identified at the previous coding level were compared and woven together to create coherence.  Finally, axial coding was used to reintegrate the data in light of a coding paradigm.  The resulting thematic framework describes childhood microaggression from the perspective of social workers in K-8 schools.

Findings: Nine female social workers and one male social worker were interviewed.  One participant self-identified as Latino, and the others self-identified as non-Latino white.  Participants were working in urban (n=7) and suburban (n=3) public schools in the southeastern (n=1) and northeastern (n=9) United States.  Nine participants characterized the student populations of their schools as predominately low socioeconomic status (SES) or SES-diverse.  Two participants described the racial/ethnic composition of their schools as mostly non-Latino white; two described their schools as racially and ethnically diverse, and eight said that their schools were racially and ethnically diverse and the majority of students were racial/ethnic minority.  Four participants noted high proportions of immigrants in their student populations.

Information provided by study participants describes the scope of the problem, identifies effective prevention and intervention measures and suggests directions for future research.  Themes that emerged from interviews with study participants include sources of student vulnerability to and protection from microaggressions, and the importance of encouraging social and emotional skill development and community building in schools. 

Conclusions & Implications: Findings support an initial understanding of childhood microaggression from the perspective of school social workers. The perceptions of K-8 school environments shared by participants point to a framework of risk and protective factors associated with microaggression, and recommended interventions that respond to targets and aggressors of microaggressions.  Findings suggest that prevention and intervention geared to entire communities is essential, especially because microaggressions in schools often go unreported.