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This study examines how undergraduates articulate ideas about race while writing in a young adult literature course.

June 11, 2026

When students write about race: insights from university YAL courses

Key Points

This study examines how undergraduates articulate ideas about race while writing in a young adult literature course.
Student journals were analyzed using guided questions from the Racialized Reader Response framework.
Responses were coded in NVivo and interpreted through thematic analysis.
Critical race theory was applied to focus on issues of privilege and identity.
Students recognized their own privilege and identity through writing, enhancing race reflections.
Some journal entries centered on whiteness or perpetuated stereotypes about BIPOC protagonists.

Abstract

Purpose Using guided questions from the Racialized Reader Response framework, this study aims to examine how undergraduates in a US young adult literature course wrote about race and what ideas they articulated across a semester. Design/methodology/approach Student journals were analyzed through a critical race theory lens; responses were coded in NVivo and interpreted through thematic analysis. Findings Writing supported students in recognizing privilege and identity; however, some entries centered whiteness or relied on stereotypes when discussing BIPOC protagonists. Originality/value This study adds to the usefulness of writing as a tool for students to reflect on race through using a scaffolded framework: racialized reader response questions.

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When students write about race: insights from university YAL courses

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Abstract

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