Dev Sci Colloquium: Makeba Parramore Willbourn (Duke)

**Out of respect for our speaker, we kindly ask that attendees have their camera turned on for the duration of the presentation**

Talking “Black” doesn’t mean I don’t want to learn: Dialect variation, not motivation influences low-income African-American children’s achievement

Abstract: More than 65 years after the Brown vs. Board decision, glaring disparities between Black and White children in educational attainment continue to plague our country. These disparities impose harmful and often tragic consequences for African Americans in terms of lower earning potential and poorer health. Scholars have posited a variety of theories to account for these educational disparities typically focusing on poverty, academic motivation, and/or language. Although unsubstantiated, the notion that African American children are less motivated in school due to the “burden of acting white” continues to dominate the national narrative. Yet, the relationship between dialect variation or “talking Black” and academic achievement in African American children has rarely been directly assessed. As a result, the current research investigated this relationship in elementary school-aged, African-American children from low-income households. Candid discussion of these findings will (1) focus on how racial stereotypes and dialect variation influence African American children’s academic language development, achievement, and motivation in school and (2) offer alternative explanations and recommendations to improve educational outcomes for African American children in the US.

Bio: Makeba Parramore Wilbourn is an Associate Professor of the Practice in the Department of Psychology & Neuroscience at Duke University. She received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Cornell University in 2008 after completing her BA and MA degrees at Cal State Fullerton. Her program of research investigates the interrelations between gesture, language and learning throughout development. Specifically, Dr. Wilbourn and her team examine these interrelations through a socio-cultural lens, using both experimental, observational, and school-based studies to explore how both race/culture and socioeconomic status (e.g., income, education) influence children’s language learning over time. In 2017, Dr. Wilbourn received the Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering (PECASE) from President Obama, the highest honor bestowed by the US government for early career scientists.