Rachel C. Boyle

Given the focus of this research, my ontological positioning is central to my response as I am a researcher from a mixed race (Black Caribbean and White British) background. My view of racism has been shaped by personal, professional and academic experiences. Within this article the author, Bunce addresses the position of race in the university experiences of Black students undertaking studies in health and social care related subjects. She charts her brief and seemingly recent journey into developing her understanding of the concept of racism and the ‘unfairness’ of inequality. Through research with her students the author describes their experiences with racism as ‘shocking and deeply saddening’ and provides a narrative of her reflections and actions in response to her new found knowledge and understanding. This article seeks to ‘inform and inspire educational change that promotes racial equality of outcomes both within and beyond [our] classrooms.’

From the moment a child is born, they create a self that it is influenced by their external world, this includes social and political factors. As the sense of self develops one cannot ignore the importance of interpersonal relatedness and social interactions. School experiences are therefore key. This paper addresses the experiences of mixed ethnicity children in primary school in the UK. It presents an initial discussion of how children's agency is both impacted and enhanced by their racialised position. Categories of race/ethnicity may be broad and abstract, and this creates an opportunity for representations to be characterised by their physical appearance. This then has a direct impact on how children see themselves represented in primary school both through the curriculum and in their teachers themselves. The notion of belonging is central to the discussion of children's agency and mixed ethnicity children form their sense of self through interactions with both their peers and their teachers. For mixed ethnicity children to be given the best opportunity to develop agency, three elements are needed: culturally aware teachers; a curriculum in which children see themselves represented; and an ethnically diverse teaching body that truly represents British society.

This paper presents aspects of a small-scale study that considered student teachers’ language and discourse around race and ethnicity at a university in the northwest of England. The first part of the paper critiques current education-related policy, context and practice to situate the research and then draws upon aspects of critical race theory and whiteness theory as frames of reference. In the research, 250 student-teachers completed questionnaires that invited responses to statements about race and ethnicity and this was followed by two semi-structured group interviews. A discourse analysis approach was taken to analyse the language used in the questionnaire responses and, in particular, the group interviews. Recurrent discursive configurations were characterised by language that signified othering, correct knowledge, personalisation and discomfort. Hesitations and silences during group discussions perhaps intimated thinking time and also maybe a reluctance to talk about aspects of race and ethnicity, and what was not said remains significant. It is suggested that a reconstruction of a teacher/educator subjectivity that fosters self-reflection on values and racial positioning, is needed in teacher education, alongside critical examination of the silences and discomfort surrounding race and ethnicity. © 2018, Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. The attached document (embargoed until 10/07/2019) is an author produced version of a paper published in JOURNAL OF EDUCATION FOR TEACHING uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self- archiving policy. The final published version (version of record) is available online at the link below. Some minor differences between this version and the final published version may remain. We suggest you refer to the final published version should you wish to cite from it.