Running Head: BLUE EYE/BROWN EYE STUDY CRITIQUE

Blue Eye/Brown Eye Study Critique Monica Huttelmayer Ivy Tech College Community

Blue Eye/ Brown Eye Study Critique I chose to pick an article by Stephen G. Bloom, about the research done by Jane Elliot. Jane

Elliots type of research is experimental study, because Elliot manipulates her students opinions of each other to test a theory on discrimination. Her experiment came about from the assassination of Martin Luther King. Her students, a class of only white people, were interested in why he was shot. So, she, as the teacher, decided to do an exercise to show her students what discrimination was really like. In her study, she split her students up into two groups: brown eyes and blue eyes (or light colored eyes). She conducted the experiment twice. The first time, she announced that the brown eye students were smarter and gave them special treatment, while treating the blue eye students like crap. She made them have cups when drinking from the water fountain so that the brown eyes didnt catch anything from them. The brown eye students ate it up, completely going out of their way to make the blue eye students feel horrible, while acting superior. Even the students, that had previously been quiet and shy, were engaged in the berating of the blue eye students. The opposite happened as well, the brightest blue eye kids grades dropped significantly. The second time around, the blue eye students were the intelligent, superior ones and the brown eye students were inferior. Although this time, the blue eye students werent nearly as mean as the brown eye students had been. Probably, because they had just gone through all the discrimination and knew how it felt. The results were similar to the first test: the blue eye students performed better in academics and physical activities than the brown eye students. I found the results to be very interesting. I thought it was fascinating that a students grades could be affected so much by self-esteem rather than ability. Elliot performed her experiment in the classroom for many years, so I would say the study informs classroom practice. Elliots study was very interesting and in my opinion very valid. She conducted the same research over and over and always came up with the same conclusions. When a person is subjugated to others people approval or disapproval it affects their overall performance despite the persons ability to perform the task.

Blue Eye/ Brown Eye Study Critique References Bloom, S. (September, 2005). Lesson of a Lifetime. Retrieved from http://www.smithsonianmag.com