EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SEA MY CULTURE: A MIXED-METHODS PILOT STUDY

Abstract

Race-based bullying and discrimination are prevalent in school settings, yet developmentallyappropriate interventions that simultaneously support ethnic–racial identity development and prejudice reduction in middle childhood remain limited. Sea My Culture is a child-centered, play-based intervention designed to promote discussion of race and racism and collaborative problem solving among peers. Using a mixed-methods, pretest–posttest design, this study examined children’s experiences of Sea My Culture and measured changes in ethnic-racial identity development and prejudice reduction outcomes across three game sessions. Participants were thirty-seven 7- to 14-year-old children (predominantly Asian American, with limited representation from other racial groups). Quantitative measures assessed ethnic-racial identity development (exploration, resolution, affirmation), responses to a racist scenario (prosocial, aggressive, passive), and trait attributions toward peer groups from diverse ethnic-racial groups. Qualitative data included pretest and posttest open-ended surveys, session-by-session pulse surveys, and facilitator fieldnote reflections analyzed via Reflexive Thematic Analysis and Content Analysis. Children reported positive emotions about playing the game, most commonly describing the game as “fun,” “happy,” and “fostering community and connection”, suggesting that the intervention was well received by the participants. Participants demonstrated significant differences in ethnic-racial identity development from pretest to posttest, with significant gains in exploration and resolution; affirmation did not significantly change. Qualitative findings showed that through playing the game, children discussed cultural symbols and exchanged stories of ethnic-racial socialization at home. They used ethnic-racial identity exploration as an opportunity to share common grounds and understand differences. Regarding prejudice reduction outcomes, participants demonstrated significant differences in prosocial responses to a racist scenario, while aggressive and passive responses did not change. Attitudes toward Asian and White peers improved but not toward Black or Hispanic peers, plausibly reflecting the sample’s limited racial diversity and contact opportunities. Children demonstrated a deeper understanding of racism at posttest, including more conceptually accurate definitions and fewer “I don’t know” responses. Qualitative findings indicated that the Sea My Culture intervention helped promote ethnic-racial consciousness, and upstander-oriented action toward racism. Findings in this mixed-methods study provided preliminary evidence that a child-centered, play-based intervention can enable participants to demonstrate significant differences in ethnic-racial identity exploration and resolution, understanding of racism, and prosocial responses to racism from pre-test to post-test among school-aged children. Sea My Culture shows promise as an innovative approach to supporting ethnic-racial identity development and anti-racism skill- building. Future randomized controlled trials in more racially diverse samples are needed.