ERIC Number: EJ1071966
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Sep
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0361-0365
EISSN: N/A
Not All Diversity Interactions Are Created Equal: Cross-Racial Interaction, Close Interracial Friendship, and College Student Outcomes
Bowman, Nicholas A.; Park, Julie J.
Research in Higher Education, v56 n6 p601-621 Sep 2015
Higher education researchers and practitioners have emphasized the educational benefits of fostering meaningful interracial interaction on college campuses. The link between cross-racial interaction and student growth has received considerable empirical attention, but far less is known about whether and when interracial friendship predicts student outcomes. Multiple theoretical frameworks suggest that these two types of interpersonal diversity experiences may have differential effects. The present study examined this issue using a 4-year longitudinal dataset with 2,932 undergraduates at 28 institutions. Regardless of students' race/ethnicity, cross-racial interaction is consistently associated with desired student outcomes, whereas close interracial friendship is often unrelated to these same outcomes.
Descriptors: Friendship, Racial Relations, Undergraduate Students, Longitudinal Studies, Outcomes of Education
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A