Power and Racialisation: Exploring the childhood and educational experiences of four mixed young people using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.

This Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis study aims to explore the experiences and understandings of childhood and education of four young people who identify as mixed Black and White heritage. The research utilises the theoretical positions of Critical Race Theory and intersectionality, drawing on psychoanalytic theories of power, racism and racialisation to interpret participants’ experiences. Participants took part in semi-structured interviews, exploring the research questions A) ‘What are mixed young people’s experiences of race and culture?’ and B) ‘How do mixed young people interpret their experiences of childhood and education?’. Analysis led to the proposal of a series of ‘higher-order’ superordinate themes across participants. For research question A, higher order superordinate themes were, ‘The significance of culture/heritage’, ‘Mixedness as challenging constructions’, ‘The significance of intersectionality’, ‘Blackness as problematic’, and ‘Mixedness as an identity’. For research question B, higher order superordinate themes were, ‘Isolation and belonging’, ‘Racialised perceptions in the development of self-identity’, and ‘The power of educational experiences’. Implications for practice are explored by considering ‘How can Educational Psychology Practice develop through these accounts?’ with reference to specific cultural and ethnic competencies in the British Psychological Society ‘Standards for the accreditation of Educational Psychology Training’ (BPS, 2015).