ERIC Number: EJ1019097
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Jul
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0091-5521
EISSN: N/A
The Relationship between Student Body Racial Composition and the Normative Environment toward Diversity at Community Colleges
Jones, Willis A.
Community College Review, v41 n3 p249-265 Jul 2013
While there has been increased scholarship in recent years on diversity in higher education, most of this research has failed to include 2-year institutions in its analyses. This study examined whether the racial composition of the community college student body is correlated with an institution's normative climate toward three diversity outcomes: student conversations with racially different peers, student conversations with peers holding different beliefs, and student understanding of racially different others. The results indicate that having a more diverse student body had a positive, statistically significant relationship with each outcome. This finding suggests that community colleges, like 4-year institutions, can be positively influenced by enrolling a more racially heterogeneous student body.
Descriptors: Community Colleges, Racial Composition, College Students, Beliefs, Student Attitudes, Racial Attitudes, Statistical Significance, Outcomes of Education, Interaction, Student Diversity, Peer Relationship, Correlation, Values, Likert Scales, Predictor Variables, Multivariate Analysis, Racial Relations
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Two Year Colleges; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A