How consciousness of race and ethnicity-based discrimination affects the health and wellbeing, and academic motivation of minority group students

Abstract

Discrimination based on race and ethnicity remains prevalent in today’s society. There is numerous literature on how conscious racial and ethnic bias and discrimination affects individuals from black and minority ethnic groups, but little on effects of unconscious racial and ethnic bias and discrimination. This study aimed to determine and compare effects of conscious versus unconscious racial and ethnic discrimination on black and minority ethnic students. Black and minority ethnic participants complete an online survey, asking about their experiences of racial and ethnic discrimination, how conscious or unconscious they felt the discrimination was, their health, wellbeing, and academic motivation. Race and ethnicity-based discrimination was positively correlated with poor health, wellbeing, and academic motivation. Consciousness of the discrimination did not seem to affect health, wellbeing, and academic motivation, dismissing comparing effects of conscious versus unconscious ethnic bias on health, wellbeing, and academic motivation. Further research investigating conscious versus unconscious racial and ethnic bias will raise more awareness on the topic.