Projects

Our track record of success in cultivating intergroup dialogue work over the years.

Publications

Under review

  • Kaplowitz, M. D., Liu, Y., Liu, C., Kaplowitz, D. R., Raven, M., & Eustice, C. (2026). Adapting Intergroup Dialogue for Broader Curricular Implementation: A Pedagogical Intensity Perspective on Dialogue Learning [Manuscript submitted for publication].

  • Kaplowitz, M., Liu, Y., Liu, C., & Rodriguez, F. (2026). Reconciling traditional and retrospective pretest estimates: A multi-method framework for evaluation practice [Manuscript submitted for publication].

Work in Progress

  • Kaplowitz, M. D., Liu, Y., Slosberg, D., Morton, C., Liu, C., Kaplowitz, D. R., Gurin, P. (2025). Co-Developing Standardized Measures for Evaluating Intergroup Dialogue across Programs at Two State Universities [Manuscript in preparation].

  • Liu, Yuqing and Kaplowitz, Michael D. and Liu, Charles and Kaplowitz, Donna R. and Raven, Matt R., Measuring Growth towards Social Justice: Comparing an Intergroup Dialogue-Augmented Course to a Semester-Long Dialogue (August 01, 2024). Available at SSRN: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4941138

Conference Presentation

  • Kaplowitz, M. D., Liu, Y., Liu, C., & Dembski, J. (2025, June 30-July 2). Statistical Analysis of Urban-Rural Dialogues Shows Time Effect, Response to Curricular Change, and Impact of Group Member Engagement in Intergroup Dialogue Groups. Oral presentation at the Difficult Dialogues National Resource Center Conference (DDNRC), St. Louis, MO, United States.

  • Liu, Y., Kaplowitz, M. D., Liu, C., Rodriguez, R., Dembski, J., & Higbee, K. (2025, June 23-July 5). Using Hoff’s Dynamic Network AME Model to Examine the Impact of Urban-Rural Dialogues on Interpersonal Relationships. Virtual oral presentation at the INSNA’s Annual Sunbelt conference, Paris, France.

  • Liu, Y., Kaplowitz, M.D., Liu, C., Kaplowitz, D.R., & Raven, M. (2025, April 23-27). Measuring Growth towards Social Equity: Comparing an Intergroup Dialogue-Augmented Course to a Semester-Long Dialogue [Virtual paper presentation]. American Educational Research Association 2025 Annual Conference, Denver, CO, United States.

Intergroup Dialogues Success in Racially Diverse High School Classrooms

ABSTRACT 

Today’s hyper-partisan world makes civil discourse across differences seem almost impossible for many adults, let alone young people. U.S. public schools are tasked with educating our young people with the goal that they each can be productive members of society. High-school students participating in an intergroup dialogue on race as part of their English classes report significant growth in their intergroup understanding, intergroup relationships, and intergroup action. Further, no evidence was found that high-school participants of one racial group benefit significantly more than participants of different racial groups. The IGD programme appears effective at advancing the multicultural education of young people so that they may be better equipped to have difficult dialogues across difference. 

Link to the journal article: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2005615X.2023.2193923

Improved Social Equity Learning in an Introduction to Sustainability Course

ABSTRACT 

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the impact on diverse students’ social equity outcome measures that result from incorporating social justice education and inclusive practices into an introductory course on sustainability offered online asynchronously, online synchronously and in-person. 

Design/methodology/approach – From fall 2020 to fall 2021, 706 students took “Introduction to Sustainability” at Michigan State University. A revised curriculum increased inclusive practices and social justice content centered on race and other social identities; institutional, individual and implicit bias; interrupting bias; socialization; and spheres of influence. Students’ self-reported change was examined using a retrospective pre/post survey. 

Findings - Students reported significant growth in social equity understanding and practice across teaching modes with in-person instruction associated with the largest reported growth. Students reported growth regardless of their racial/ethnic identity or gender, with instructor effects varying in expected ways. The gap in social equity understanding between students with low precourse ratings (on outcome measures) and those with high precourse ratings was significantly smaller after the course.

Research limitations/implications - This study is not without limitations. First, the authors were limited in the student-specific information that they could collect. Second, the authors did not have access to an alternative course that could serve as a control. Third, the authors did not have the resources to also conduct an in-depth, thorough qualitative study. Furthermore, the authors did not conduct their investigation during “normal” campus life because it took place during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic was a factor that could not be accounted for and might have impacted the outcomes.

Originality/value – This study is novel in identifying and incorporating specific social justice education material, tools and practices for improved teaching of social equity components of sustainability.

Link to the journal article: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJSHE-07-2023-0324/full/html

Learning Across Difference in Facilitated Small Groups: Measuring Intergroup Dialogue Change

ABSTRACT 

Intergroup dialogue (IGD) is a co-facilitated small-group educational intervention designed to foster engagement across differences through relationship building, dialogic skill development, and action-oriented learning. Using retrospective pretest-posttest survey data from 175 student and staff/faculty participants in 21 voluntary IGD groups at a large, public, predominantly White institution, this study tests an integrated four-factor framework of IGD learning: Awareness, Intergroup Relationships, Action to Intervene, and Capacity to Advance Equity. Results support the four-factor structure, measurement invariance across race, and significant reported change across all four learning areas.

Link to the journal article: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10464964261486057

Measuring Growth towards Social Justice: Comparing an Intergroup Dialogue-Augmented Course to a Semester-Long Dialogue

ABSTRACT 

Increasing diversity, polarization, and calls for change support the importance of integrating equity-based approaches into existing curricula. We examine the impact of social justice education (SJE) on a sustainability course with intergroup dialogue (IGD) content and a campus-wide IGD program. A sample of 303 undergraduate students at a large, Midwest university (145 IGD participants and 158 course participants) enabled estimating relative SJE impacts. Responses grouped into four factors, aligned with IGD teaching goals-awareness of social identities, intergroup relationships, tools to engage and intervene, and advancing greater equity. Positive SJE growth of course participants was statistically significant, with larger growth reported for dialogue participants. Interaction effects showed female dialogue participants growing more in awareness of social identities than male dialogue participants.

Link to the journal article: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4941138

Urban-Rural Intergroup Dialogues

An ongoing study of intergroup dialogue (IGD) across urban/suburban/rural identity to improve participants’ (a) understanding of social identities (b) relationships across difference; (c) interrupting bias; and (d) capacity to advance equity for bridging the urban–rural divide.