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Application Materials For Recruitment Of Ethnic Minority Students

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Dr. Martha Bernal focused not only on younger children, but students ages 18 and up who were looking at potential colleges. She conducted a study to show that the pictures and information provided in school packet materials mailed to prospective students had a large impact on the likelihood of them contacting the school for more information. The article titled Use of Application Materials for Recruitment of Ethnic Minority Students in Psychology questioned on page 818 "whether these packets are equally effective in recruiting ethnic minority applicants" (Bernal, Barron & Leary, 1983) as they are in attracting white applicants. The hypothesis explored the idea that programs which stated a higher proportion of ethnic minority grad students would be judged as having a higher chance of recruiting ethnic minorities. Specifically, Dr. Martha Bernal explored how clinical psychology programs in the United States displayed diversity within the packets mailed out to prospective students.
The set-up involved mailing out a letter to 107 programs offered across the US which were accredited at the time, in which a fictitious student requested brochures and other materials about the clinical program offered, as well as materials on the number of minorities within the program itself. Interestingly, the fictitious girl named "Ana Acres" did not state her ethnicity or race, allowing the schools to send out information based on their own judgement and not the preconceived judgement of her

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