Student Experiences with Diversity at Liberal Arts Colleges: Another Claim for Distinctiveness

Abstract

Student Experiences with Diversity at Liberal Arts Colleges:Another Claim for DistinctivenessThis study explores the relationship between organizational and individual characteristics and diversity-related experiences at liberal arts colleges. Compared with their counterparts at other types of institutions, students at liberal arts colleges report more experiences with diversity. In addition, this study also finds that diversity experiences are positively related with a variety of student outcomes. Diversity at Liberal Arts Colleges 3 Student Experiences with Diversity at Liberal Arts Colleges:Another Claim for Distinctiveness Compelling arguments are coming from all quarters that diversity-related experiences benefit individual students, institutions, and society at large.

Evaluating the Rationale for Affirmative Action in College Admissions: Direct and Indirect Relationships between Campus Diversity and Gains in Understanding Diverse Groups

“…Institutional character istics and campus diversity are also presumed to be directly related to the amount of interaction among diverse peers and the quality of interpersonal relations. Once again, research supports this assumption (see Chang, 200;Pike & Kuh, 2005, in press;Umbach & Kuh, 2006). Institutional characteristics and campus diversity, mediated by the amount of inter action among diverse peers and quality of interpersonal relations, are indirectly related to gains in understanding diverse groups.…”

“…Because previous research found that relationships differed for firstyear and senior students (Umbach & Kuh, 2006), separate analyses were conducted for the two groups of students. Next, covariance matrices for all variables were calculated and analyzed using the Lisrel 8.72 computer program (Jöreskog & Sörbom, 2005).…”

The relation of multicultural experiences to moral judgment and mindsets.

“…The MEQ could be used in freshman-senior longitudinal studies to quickly sample prior experience in freshmen as well as college-based diversity experiences in seniors. The MEQ or similar measures could provide needed information about how much campus members take advantage of the opportunities for multicultural experience, especially in relation to multiple measures of campus diversity (for instance, see Umbach & Kuh, 2006).…”

The Validation of the Active Learning in Health Professions Scale

“…Active learning was conceptually defined as "the involvement of students in learning strategies that encourage students to take responsibility for learning" (p. 31), and was operationally defined as "activities such as students' participation in presentations, cooperative learning groups, experiential learning, peer evaluation, writing in class, computer-based instruction, role playing, simulations games, peer teaching, and small discussion groups in the classroom environment" (p. 31). This definition of active learning was more aligned with approaches of assessing students' involvement in activities in and out of class (Carini, Kuh, & Klein, 2006;Kuh, 2002;Umbach & Kuh, 2006), rather than with Bonwell and Eison's (1991) definition focused on pedagogy.…”