Is gerontology ready for anti-racist pedagogy? A survey of educators' practices and perspectives

The older population in the United States is becoming more diverse, bringing increasing attention to the ways in which diversity and multiculturalism are addressed in gerontological education. Although diversity and multiculturalism have long been recognized as important components of the aging experience, our approach to understanding their significance and impact continues to grow and change. Anti-racist pedagogy represents one catalyst to stimulate such change. To evaluate the potential for anti-racist pedagogy in gerontology, this study explored gerontological educators' (N = 121) current practices and perspectives regarding the inclusion of diversity content in their courses, as well as the extent to which they are familiar with and/or use anti-racist pedagogy in their classes. The findings suggest that greater attention to issues of race, ethnicity, and multicultural diversity throughout the gerontological curriculum is needed and wanted. Although respondents were generally unfamiliar with the name anti-racist pedagogy, many indicated that their current teaching practices employed select components of it. Overall, the findings point toward the need for continued exploration of how anti-racist pedagogy may be brought into the gerontological classroom, as well as its implications for future research, policy, and practice.