Intergroup Dialogue: A Review of Recent Empirical Research and Its Implications for Research and Practice

Abstract

Intergroup dialogue (IGD) is a small group intervention that allows for sustained communication between people across social identity groups. It aims to foster intergroup relationships, develop critical consciousness, and increase capacities for promoting social justice. A decade after Dessel and Rogge published their review of the empirical research on IGD from 1997 to 2006, we reviewed the empirical IGD research from 2006 to 2017. We explore research that has examined IGD outcomes, processes, and facilitation, seeking to understand the current state of the research and practice of IGD. We discuss advances and new approaches to IGD, assess growth since Dessel and Rogge’s review, and discuss future directions. We provide five key recommendations for future research on IGD, and five key recommendations for future practice of IGD.

Keywords

intergroup dialogue intergroup contact group process group outcome group facilitation

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Aldana

Rowley

S. J.

Checkoway

Richards-Schuster

(2012). Raising ethnic-racial consciousness: The relationship between intergroup dialogues and adolescents’ ethnic-racial identity and racism awareness. Equity & Excellence in Education, 45, 120-137. doi:10.1080/10665684.2012.641863

Alimo

C. J.

(2012). From dialogue to action: The impact of cross-race intergroup dialogue on the development of White college students as racial allies. Equity & Excellence in Education, 45, 36-59. doi:10.1080/10665684.2012.643182

Allport

(1954). The nature of prejudice. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

Bohm

(1996). On dialogue. New York, NY: Routledge.

Boulden

W. T.

(2006). Youth leadership, racism, and intergroup dialogue. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 15, 1-26. doi:10.1300/J051v15n01_01

Bowleg

(2014). When Black + woman + lesbian ≠ Black lesbian woman. In Grzanka

P. R.

(Ed.), Intersectionality: A foundations and frontiers reader (pp. 314-322). Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

Brady

S. R.

Sawyer

J. M.

Herrera

S. C.

(2016). Preparing social work students to practice in diverse communities through difficult digital dialogues. Journal of Technology in Human Services, 34, 376-393. doi:10.1080/15228835.2016.1250244

Cole

E. R.

(2009). Intersectionality and research in psychology. American Psychologist, 64, 170-180. doi:10.1037/a0014564

Crenshaw

K.W.

(1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A Black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory and antiracist politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 140, 139-167.

10.

Dessel

A. B.

(2010). Effects of intergroup dialogue: Public school teachers and sexual orientation prejudice. Small Group Research, 41, 556-592. doi:10.1177/1046496410369560

11.

Dessel

A. B.

Ali

(2012). Arab/Jewish intergroup dialogue courses: Building communication skills, relationships, and social justice. Small Group Research, 43, 559-586. doi:10.1177/1046496412453773

12.

Dessel

A. B.

Rogge

M. E.

(2008). Evaluation of intergroup dialogue: A review of the empirical literature. Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 26, 199-238. doi:10.1002/crq.230

13.

Dessel

A. B.

Woodford

M. R.

Routenberg

Breijak

D. P.

(2013). Heterosexual students’ experiences in sexual orientation intergroup dialogue courses. Journal of Homosexuality, 60, 1054-1080. doi:10.1080/00918369.2013.776413

14.

Dessel

A. B.

Woodford

M. R.

Warren

(2011). Intergroup dialogue courses on sexual orientation: Lesbian, gay and bisexual student experiences and outcomes. Journal of Homosexuality, 58, 1132-1150. doi:10.1080/00918369.2011.598420

15.

Federal Bureau of Investigations. (2017). Uniform crime report: Hate crime statistics, 2016. Retrieved from https://ucr.fbi.gov/hate-crime/2016/topic-pages/incidentsandoffenses.pdf

16.

Flick

D. L.

(1998). From debate to dialogue: Using the understanding process to transform our conversations. Boulder, CO: Orchid.

17.

Ford

K. A.

(2012). Shifting White ideological scripts: The educational benefits of inter- and intraracial curricular dialogues on the experiences of White college students. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 5, 138-158. doi:10.1037/a0028917

18.

Frantell

K. A.

Miles

J. R.

Muller

J. T.

Robinson

L. M.

(2018). A typology of critical incidents in intergroup dialogue: Perspectives of facilitators-in-training. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 22, 156-171. doi:10.1037/gdn0000088

19.

Freire

(1970). The pedagogy of the oppressed. New York, NY: Continuum International.

20.

Graf

Paolini

(2017). Investigating positive and negative intergroup contact: Rectifying a long-standing positivity bias in the literature. In Vezzali

Stathi

(Eds.), Intergroup contact theory: Recent developments and future directions (pp. 92-113). New York, NY: Routledge.

21.

Griffin

S. R.

Brown

Warren

N. M.

(2012). Critical education in high schools: The promise and challenges of intergroup dialogue. Equity & Excellence in Education, 45, 159-180. doi:10.1080/10665684.2012.641868

22.

Grodofsky

M. M.

Soffer

(2011). The group as a community social change agent: The case of the Bedouin. Social Work with Groups, 34, 190-202. doi:10.1080/01609513.2010.529594

23.

Gurin

Nagda

B. A.

Zùñiga

(2013). Dialogue across difference: Practice, theory, and research on intergroup dialogue. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.

24.

Gurin-Sands

Gurin

Nagda

B. A.

Osuna

(2012). Fostering a commitment to social action: How talking, thinking, and feeling make a difference in intergroup dialogue. Equity & Excellence in Education, 45, 60-79. doi:10.1080/10665684.2012.643699

25.

Hess

J. Z.

Rynczak

Minarik

J. D.

Landrum-Brown

(2010). Alternative settings for liberal-conservative exchange: Examining an undergraduate dialogue course. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 20, 156-166. doi:10.1002/casp.1032

26.

Hopkins

L. E.

Domingue

A. D.

(2015). From awareness to action: College students’ skill development in intergroup dialogue. Equity & Excellence in Education, 48, 392-402. doi:10.1080/10665684.2015.1057446

27.

Joslin

J. Y.

Dessel

A. B.

Woodford

M. R.

(2016). Social work students’ experiences in a Christianity and sexual minority intergroup dialogue. Social Work Education, 35, 547-559. doi:10.1080/02615479.2016.1178716

28.

Keehn

M. G.

(2015). “When you tell a personal story, I kind of perk up a little bit more”: An examination of student learning from listening to personal stories in two social diversity courses. Equity & Excellence in Education, 48, 373-391. doi:10.1080/10665684.2015.1056712

29.

Khuri

M. L.

(2004). Working with emotion in educational intergroup dialogue. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 28, 595-612. doi:10.1016/j.ijintrel.2005.01.012

30.

Kishi

(2017, November 15). Assaults against Muslims in U.S. surpass 2001 level. Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/11/15/assaults-against-muslims-in-u-s-surpass-2001-level/

31.

Kivlighan

D. M.

Arseneau

J. R.

Jr. (2009). A typology of critical incidents in intergroup dialogue groups. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 13, 89-102. doi:10.1037/a0014757

32.

Kivlighan

D. M.

Tarrant

J. M.

Jr. (2001). Does group climate mediate the group leadership–group member outcome relationship? A test of Yalom’s hypotheses about leadership priorities. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 5, 220-234. doi:10.1037/1089-2699.5.3.220

33.

Krings

Austic

E. A.

Gutiérrez

L. M.

Dirksen

K. E.

(2015). Comparative impacts of social justice educational methods on political participation, civic engagement, and multicultural activism. Equity & Excellence in Education, 48, 403-417. doi:10.1080/10665684.2015.1057087

34.

Lensen

K. C.

Chesler

Brown

(2012). Responding to civic conflict: Developing intergroup dialogue co-facilitators. Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 29, 421-432. doi:10.1002/crq.21047

35.

Lopez

(2018, January 22). Trump promised to be LGBTQ-friendly. His first year in office proved it was a giant con. Available from www.vox.com

36.

Lopez

G. E.

Nastasi

A. W.

(2012). Writing the divide: High school students crossing urban-suburban contexts. Equity & Excellence in Education, 45, 138-158. doi:10.1080/10665684.2012.643676

37.

Lopez-Humphreys

Dawson

B. A.

(2014). From education to action: The immediate and long-term results of intergroup dialogue on BSW students’ social justice activity. The Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work, 19, 31-43. doi:10.5555/basw.19.1.5g7l07512351xm50

38.

MacKenzie

K. R.

(1983). The clinical application of a group climate measure. In Dies

R. R.

MacKenzie

K. R.

(Eds.), Advances in group psychotherapy: Integrating research and practice (pp. 159-170). New York, NY: International Universities Press.

39.

Madden

(2015). Social class dialogues and the fostering of class consciousness. Equity & Excellence in Education, 48, 571-588. doi:10.1080/10665684.2015.1086227

40.

Mallinckrodt

Miles

J. R.

Levy

J. J.

(2014). The scientist–practitioner–advocate model: Addressing contemporary training needs for social justice advocacy. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 8, 303-311. doi:10.1037/tep0000045

41.

Mallinckrodt

Soth-McNett

A. M.

Celebi

Birks

K. M.

Tsai

C. L.

Williams

B. E.

(2013). Cognitive primes for attachment security can increase cultural empathy, but also interact negatively with attachment anxiety. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 32, 1013-1039. doi:10.1521/jscp.2013.32.10.1013

42.

Maxwell

K. E.

Chesler

Nagda

B. A.

(2011). Identity matters: Facilitators’ struggles and empowered use of social identities in intergroup dialogue. In Maxwell

K. E.

Nagda

B. A.

Thompson

M. C.

(Eds.), Facilitating intergroup dialogues: Bridging differences, catalyzing change (pp. 163-177). Sterling VA: Stylus.

43.

Maxwell

K. E.

Fisher

R. B.

Thompson

M. C.

Behling

(2011). Training peer facilitators as social justice educators: Integrating cognitive and affective learning. In Maxwell

K. E.

Nagda

B. R. A.

Thompson

M. C.

(Eds.), Facilitating intergroup dialogues: Bridging differences, catalyzing change (pp. 41-54). Sterling, VA: Stylus.

44.

McClendon

D. T.

Burlingame

G. M.

(2010). Group climate: Construct in search of clarity. In Conyne

R. K.

(Ed.), The Oxford handbook of group counseling (pp. 164-181). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

45.

Mikulincer

Gillath

Sapir-Lavid

Yaakobi

Arias

Tal-Aloni

Bor

(2003). Attachment theory and concern for others’ welfare: Evidence that activation of the sense of secure base promotes endorsement of self-transcendence values. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 25, 299-312. doi:10.1207/S15324834BASP2504_4

46.

Miles

J. R.

Kivlighan

D. M.

Jr. (2008). Team cognition in group interventions: The relation between co-leaders’ shared mental models and group climate. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 12, 191-209. doi:10.1037/1089-2699.12.3.191

47.

Miles

J. R.

Kivlighan

D. M.

Jr. (2010). Co-leader similarity and group climate in group interventions: Testing the co-leadership, team cognition-team diversity model. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 14, 114-122. doi:10.1037/a0017503

48.

Miles

J. R.

Kivlighan

D. M.

Jr. (2012). Perceptions of group climate by social identity group status in intergroup dialogue. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 16, 189-205. doi:10.1037/a0028634

49.

Miles

J. R.

Mallinckrodt

(2017). Establishing a secure base to increase exploration of diversity in groups. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67, 259-275. doi:10.1080/00207284.2016.1264721

50.

Miles

J. R.

Muller

J. T.

Arnett

J. E.

III Bourn

J. R.

Johnson

M. C.

Recabarren

(2015). Group member affect and session evaluations in intergroup dialogue. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 19, 225-242. doi:10.1037/gdn0000032

51.

Muller

J. T.

Miles

J. R.

(2017). Intergroup dialogue in undergraduate multicultural psychology education: Group climate development and outcomes. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 10, 52-71. doi:10.1037/a0040042

52.

Nadan

Weinberg-Kurnik

Ben-Ari

(2015). Bringing context and power relations to the fore: Intergroup dialogue as a tool in social work education. British Journal of Social Work, 45, 260-277. doi:10.1093/bjsw/bct116

53.

Nagda

B. A.

(2006). Breaking barriers, crossing borders, building bridges: Communication processes in intergroup dialogues. Journal of Social Issues, 62, 553-576. doi:10.1111/j.1540-4560-2006.00473.x

54.

Nagda

B. A.

Gurin

(2013). The practice of intergroup dialogue. In Gurin

Nagda

B. A.

Zùñiga

X. E.

(Eds.), Dialogue across difference: Practice, theory, and research on intergroup dialogue (pp. 32-73). New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.

55.

Nagda

B. A.

Zúñiga

(2003). Fostering meaningful racial engagement through intergroup dialogues. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 6, 111-128. doi:10.1177/1368430203006001015

56.

Norton

C. L.

Russell

Wisner

Uriarte

(2011). Reflective teaching in social work education: Findings from a participatory action research study. Social Work Education, 30, 392-407. doi:10.1080/02615479.2010.500658

57.

Ogrodniczuk

J. S.

Piper

W. E.

(2003). The effect of group climate on outcome in two forms of short-term group therapy. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 7, 64-76. doi:10.1037/1089-2699.7.1.64

58.

Pettigrew

T. F.

Tropp

L. R.

(2006). A meta-analytic test of intergroup contact theory. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90, 751-783. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.90.5.751

59.

Pettigrew

T. F.

Tropp

L. R.

(2008). How does intergroup contact reduce prejudice? Meta-analytic tests of three mediators. European Journal of Social Psychology, 38, 922-934. doi:10.1002/ejsp.504

60.

Pettigrew

T. F.

Tropp

L. R.

Wagner

Christ

(2011). Recent advances in intergroup contact theory. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 35, 271-280. doi:10.1016/j.ijintrel.2011.03.001

61.

Pilecki

Hammack

P. L.

(2014). “Victims” versus “righteous victims”: The rhetorical construction of social categories in historical dialogue among Israeli and Palestinian youth. Political Psychology, 35, 813-830. doi:10.1111/pops.12063

62.

Richards-Schuster

Aldana

(2013). Learning to speak out about racism: Youths’ insights on participation in an intergroup dialogues program. Social Work with Groups, 36, 332-348. doi:10.1080/01609513.2013.763327

63.

Rozas

L. W.

(2007). Engaging dialogue in our diverse social work student body: A multilevel theoretical process model. Journal of Social Work Education, 43, 5-30. doi:10.5175/JSWE.2007.200400467

64.

Sakakibara

(2017). Intercultural understanding through intergroup dialogue between Japanese and Chinese university students. Integrated Psychology Behavior, 51, 359-378. doi:10.1007/s12124-017-9390-x

65.

Sanders

M. R.

Mahalingam

(2012). Under the radar: The role of invisible discourse in understanding class-based privilege. Journal of Social Issues, 68, 112-127. doi:10.1111/j.1540-4560.2011.01739.x

66.

Schoem

Hurtado

(2001). Intergroup dialogue: Deliberative democracy in school, college, community, and workplace. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

67.

Sorensen

Nagda

B. A.

Gurin

Maxwell

K. E.

(2009). Taking a “hands on” approach to diversity in higher education: A critical-dialogic model for effective intergroup interaction. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 9, 3-35. doi:10.1111/j.1530-2415.2009.01193.x

68.

Tauriac

J. J.

Kim

G. S.

Sariñana

S. L.

Tawa

Kahn

V. D.

(2013). Utilizing affinity groups to enhance intergroup dialogue workshops for racially and ethnically diverse students. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 38, 241-260. doi:10.1080/01933922.2013.800176

69.

Thakral

Vasquez

P. L.

Bottoms

B. L.

Matthews

A. K.

Hudson

K. M.

Whitley

S. K.

(2016). Understanding difference through dialogue: A first-year experience for college students. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 9, 130-142. doi:10.1037/a0039935

70.

Tuckman

B. W.

Jensen

M. A.

(1977). Stages of small-group development revisited. Group & Organization Studies, 2, 419-427. doi:10.1177/105960117700200404

71.

Vasques-Scalera

(2011). Changing facilitators, facilitating change: The lives of intergroup dialogue facilitators post-college. In Maxwell

K. E.

Nagda

B. A.

Thompson

M. C.

(Eds.), Facilitating intergroup dialogues: Bridging differences, catalyzing change (pp. 201-212). Sterling, VA: Stylus.

72.

Vezzali

Stathi

(2017). The present and the future of the contact hypothesis, and the need for integrating research fields. In Vezzali

Stathi

(Eds.), Intergroup contact theory: Recent developments and future directions (pp. 1-7). New York, NY: Routledge.

73.

Wayne

E. K.

(2008). Is it just talk? Understanding and evaluating intergroup dialogue. Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 25, 451-478. doi:10.1002/crq.217

74.

White

B. A.

Miles

J. R.

Frantell

K. A.

Muller

J. T.

Paiko

LeFan

(2018). Intergroup dialogue facilitation in professional psychology training: Building social justice and group work competencies. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. Advance online publication. doi:10.1037/dhe0000089

75.

Zúñiga

Kachwaha

DeJong

Pacheo

(2011). Preparing critically reflective intergroup dialogue facilitators: A pedagogical model and illustrative example. In Maxwell

K. E.

Nagda

B. A.

Thompson

M. C.

(Eds.), Facilitating intergroup dialogues: Bridging differences, catalyzing change (pp. 71-84). Sterling, VA: Stylus.

76.

Zúñiga

Mildred

Varghese

DeJong

Keehn

(2012). Engaged listening in race/ethnicity and gender intergroup dialogue courses. Equity & Excellence in Education, 45, 80-99. doi:10.1080/10665684.2012.644962

77.

Zúñiga

Nagda

B. A.

Chesler

M. E.

Cytron-Walker

A. E.

(2007). Intergroup dialogue in higher education: Meaningful learning about social justice. ASHE Higher Education Report, 32, 1-128. doi:10.1002/aehe.230

78.

Zúñiga

Nagda

B. A.

Sevig

T. D.

(2002). Intergroup dialogues: An educational model for cultivating engagement across differences. Equity and Excellence in Education, 35, 7-17. doi:10.1080/713845248