Raising awareness of the mechanisms of discrimination – some results of a pilot evaluation study

Barbara Samaluk and Nada Turnšek

Summary:  This paper presents findings of a pilot study that explored whether participation in a program known as the “Program of Antidiscrimination Education for Students of Preschool Education” affected participants’ awareness of negative stereotypes and prejudices, ability to recognize discrimination, attitudes toward assuring equal opportunities, level of intolerance towards specific groups, attitudes toward immigrants, and attitudes toward legal provisions against discrimination. The main aim of the study was to assess the effects of education on the participants, who were students from the Department of Preschool Education within the Faculty of Education of the University of Ljubljana. It was carried out through the use of an attitude scale and assessment scale, as well as through the use of multiple-choice questionnaires. Its findings indicate the positive effects that antidiscrimination education has on awareness of the socio-psychological origins of discrimination, recognition of discrimination, and attitudes towards certain groups. It also points out certain weaknesses in the methodology used and suggests directions for future research on the effects of antidiscrimination educational programs.