Abstract
M.Ed. (Educational Psychology)
Racism in South Africa continues to be a threat and a barrier to social cohesion while also being a contributing factor to accessing quality education. To date, little research has been done in South Africa on how white educational psychologists view issues of race and racism and the role they can play in dealing with these issues. The aim of this inquiry was to explore the narratives of white educational psychologists related to race and racism with the purpose of building an understanding on how this influences their practice. Furthermore, the purpose was to understand the role that educational psychologists can play towards ending racism and to suggest what further support and training would be needed. The inquiry draws on Critical Psychology and Critical Race Theory to understand the field of educational psychology and the issues of race and racism. A qualitative approach was utilised with a narrative design. A thematic analysis was made of the data from interviews and themes were identified. Vignettes within the study that presented examples of how race and racism were experienced and dealt with by the educational psychologists within their therapeutic spaces were identified. These vignettes were explored and analysed through the lens of the themes identified. The findings from this research provides evidence that the manner in which white educational psychologists define race and racism influences the way they deal with the issues in their therapeutic spaces. The main conclusions drawn from this study are that a colour-blind approach to race and racism predominates and that this influences the way white educational psychologists work with clients. This dissertation recommends that there is a need for support and training so as to develop awareness of issues about race and racism.