Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Mona Hanania

Abstract

Increased attention continues to be given to diversity and social justice in the field of psychology. With the increased attention, training has been seen as the primary method of changing behaviors and biases. To date, literature on the effectiveness of workplace diversity training on organizational and employee outcomes was lacking. The purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy of diversity trainings on the commitment and exploration of ethnic identity of nonminority individuals in the workplace. The theoretical foundation was Helm’s theory of White racial identity, which was used to examine the various ways identification with White culture influences behaviors. In this research study, prestudy-poststudy archival data with a sample size of 58 was used to examine the effect of workplace diversity trainings on employee’s ethnic identity. With a sample size of 58, this study included a determination of mean differences between responses over time to determine if exploration and commitment to ethnic identity was likely to happen by chance. Although the results of the pre- and posttest showed a difference in means, some scores increased between pre- and posttest while others decreased. It was expected that the scores would increase after the diversity training. The MANOVA concluded that the results of the study were not significant. The potential social change implications of this study included discovering if diversity trainings were having the intended results of assisting participants in recognizing their personal ethnic identity and how it impacts their beliefs and behaviors possibly leading to an increased equitable environment, as well as increasing appropriate interactions within diverse settings.

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