| Using data from the Education Resource Information Centers' (ERIC) library of education research journals and from an originally constructed dataset from education research articles from the period of 2000–2007, I explore the influence of comparative frameworks on the interpretation and treatment of race in education research. Expanding on the existing literature (Gutierrez, 2005; Scheurich & Young, 1997; Banks, 1993, 1995; Gordon et al., 1990) that confronts the treatment of race in the social sciences I go beyond this research that is impressionistic, historical and ideational, or philosophical and personal in nature by investigating empirically whether the way in which African Americans are compared in an article influences the article's subsequent treatment of this group. Based on descriptive statistics and logistic regression models I examine the types of comparative frameworks that present African Americans in a negative, empowering, or neutral manner. The findings suggest that when articles do not draw comparisons to other groups they are likely to present African Americans in an empowering way. Additionally, for studies with many groups that are being studied without between group comparisons present African Americans in a neutral fashion. Although all of the articles in the sample that presented African Americans negatively were found to directly compare African Americans to youth from a different racial background, there was not enough statistical power to suggest that this relationship is significant. |
