Proportional representation and student perceptions of a campus climate for diversity.

摘要

This study expands upon previous research in higher education related to student perceptions of a campus climate for diversity. Such studies have generally found that the perceptions of students of color in predominantly White institutions of higher education are largely negative. Additionally, the unique experiences and perspectives of Asian and Pacific Islander students not aggregated into the pan "Asian Pacific American" category are missing from the literature on campus climate studies. Given the diversity within the Asian and Pacific Islander population, coupled with the fact that they are the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the U.S. and increasingly compose a significant proportion of college-bound students, it is important that institutions include Asian and Pacific Islander student perspectives in institutional climate studies.; This institution-specific study examined the effect of proportional representation of Asian, Pacific Islander, and Caucasian undergraduate students on their experiences and perceptions of diversity within Kanter's (1977) theoretical framework. In contrast to the student makeup in the majority of colleges and universities, students at the target institution were 25% Caucasian and nearly 60% Asian or Pacific Islander. Dependent variables were students' personal experience with diversity on campus, perceptions of the campus climate, perceptions of institutional actions about diversity, and overall satisfaction with college. Survey responses from 322 Asian, Pacific Islander, and Caucasian students and qualitative data from 29 focus-group participants were analyzed. Multivariate analyses suggest that proportional representation of racially diverse students has a significant effect on student perceptions of diversity. Moreover, qualitative findings reveal that these differences are ethnicity specific, rather than race specific. This study corroborates previous research that demonstrated the proportions of socially and culturally different people in the environment shape the dynamics of interaction and their perceptions in different ways. Its primary contribution to the literature is that it broadens the findings to Asian and Pacific American students and affirms that not only race, but also ethnicity and culture, influence the context, experience, and perception of diversity on college and university campuses.