A Systematic Review of the Impact of School Education on Children’s Ethnic Prejudice

Abstract

Ethnic prejudice may arise from a very young age, so it is important to pay attention to early school education. A systematic review is carried out to discuss whether school education can have an impact on reducing young children’s ethnic prejudice through empirical research. Based on PRISMA, 7 studies that meet the requirements were selected, followed by a quality assessment. 6 studies show that school education can have a positive impact on reducing young children’s ethnic prejudice and 1 study shows no effect on reducing prejudice. Generally, three kinds of methods are used in school education to reduce children's ethnic prejudice, that is, intergroup contact, imagination, and multimedia. The result shows that school education can have a positive impact on reducing young children’s ethnic prejudice by increasing their empathy, and this kind of impact is more effective for older children.