Education Commons^™

Assessing How Diversity Affects Students' Interest In Social Change, Gary D. Malaney, Joseph B. Berger

Joseph B. Berger

As the country's racial/ethnic minority representation increases, colleges and universities have increasingly sought to diversify their enrollments in order to better prepare all students to live and work in a diverse democracy. However, diversification may negatively affect campus climate and undergraduate peer relations leading to both increased racial tensions and to lower levels of satisfaction and retention for both minority and majority students. This study examined the effects of students; entry characteristics, pre-college environments, and pre-college activities on 3 democratic outcomes that serve as potential indicators of new undergraduate students; readiness to positively engage with diversity: social change self-efficacy, social …