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Campus Racial Climate and the Adjustment of Students to College: A Comparison Between White Students and African-American Students

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This study examined the impact of prejudice and discrimination on the adjustment of students to college. Results indicated perceived discriminatory behavior negatively affected minority student academic/intellectual development, social experiences, and institutional commitment. Although differential effects were noted for minority and non-minorities, exposure to discriminatory behavior impinged upon the cognitive/affective development of all students.
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... "We do not learn from experience...we learn from reflecting on experience." ~John Dewey Inclusive pedagogies in STEM are necessary to improve classroom climate, enhance student persistence, and promote more positive and equitable outcomes [1], [2], [3]. A National Academies consensus report emphasizes that broad-based STEM education reforms, including curricular and pedagogical innovations, are needed for systemic and lasting effects. ...
... In an analysis of the 1988 National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS) and its 1990 follow-up data, Ehrenberg et al. (1995) reported that teacher characteristics, including race, do not affect student test scores. In their research on the relationship between campus bias and college students' learning adaptability, Cabrera et al. (1999) reported that discriminatory behaviors have detrimental effects on minority students' academic and intellectual development, social experiences, and intentions. However, the predictive factors for academic achievement among both minority and nonminority students are essentially the same. ...
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This study uses nationally representative data from the Chinese College Student Survey (CCSS) (N = 37,508) to examine the impact of minority-serving institutions (MSIs) on learning opportunities, processes, and outcomes for ethnic minority college students. The CCSS uses a self-report questionnaire with multiple scales to measure ethnic minority students’ development, including family and ethnic background, university admission opportunities, learning behavior and psychology, and skill development in areas such as leadership and innovative thinking. We employ logistic regression and propensity score matching and find that MSIs offer valuable learning opportunities to minority students from ethnic areas and economically disadvantaged backgrounds, as well as those with weak academic preparation. Furthermore, these institutions enhance ethnic minority students’ engagement in active and cooperative learning, participation in high-impact educational activities, acquisition of knowledge and skills, innovative thinking, leadership development, and overall growth. However, MSIs are less effective at fostering interpersonal relationships. Additionally, MSIs exert a significant positive influence on college students from ethnic groups characterized by strong religious affiliations or low average educational levels, particularly in terms of learning behaviors and both academic and social integration.
... Since the 1990s, there have been enormous studies calling for a cultural change in the environment of higher education and focusing directly on the culture of engineering education. Several research studies [4,5,6,7] acknowledge that the social, psychological, and structural aspects of STEM education in colleges and universities play an important role in shaping how students align their identities with their academic domains in such a way that this alignment termed their academic identities has a certain impact on their efforts and achievements. The study [8] reveals that the college experience for individual students is influenced by their perceptions of interpersonal interactions and norms, which a reflective of the college culture and thus play a pivotal role in shaping student performance, engagement, and persistence, surpassing predictions solely based on socioeconomic status or academic preparedness indicators. ...
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This is a complete analysis work on establishing the relationship between all three factors namely sense of belonging, mental health and well-being (MHW), and engineering identity in the context of Engineering Stress Culture (ESC) within first-year engineering courses at a large mid-western university for Fall 2023. The analysis on gender focuses on Female and Male, while ethnicity/race focuses on the underrepresented group (African American) and the overrepresented group (White). The results indicate a strong correlation between the engineering major and the engineering classroom across gender and ethnic groups. Specifically, fostering an inclusive and supportive environment within the engineering major is crucial for enhancing the classroom experience, benefiting both Male and African American students. Female and African American students tend to perceive higher levels of stress compared to Males and Whites, respectively, with Female and African Americans exhibiting a greater ability to predict the connection between perceived stress and the sense of belonging within their gender and ethnic contexts. The findings suggest that competence and interest play a more significant role in shaping male students' identity in engineering compared to females. White students exhibit stronger correlations between recognition by others and interest, as well as competence and interest, indicating a more pronounced influence on their engineering identity compared to African American students. Furthermore, while interest appears to have a greater influence on engineering identity across Female, Male, and White groups, this trend differs for African Americans, suggesting that feeling recognized by others significantly shapes their perceptions of identity in engineering. Lastly, perceived stress is less strongly associated with individuals' interest in engineering than with their perceived competence or recognition by others, implying a lower risk of stress even when interest is not strong. Further research is needed to determine causality and identify any underlying factors influencing this relationship. This work may further examine the evolution of these factors as first-year students advance through subsequent semesters. This exploration contributes depth to our understanding of the dynamic relationship among sense of belonging, engineering identity, the ESC, and students' mental health and well-being over time.
... Research has also shown that many students who belong to minoritized groups encounter discrimination from students, faculty, and staff in higher education institutions (Cabrera et al., 1999;Garcia & Johnston-Guerrero, 2015;Griffin et al., 2016;Hurtado & Ruiz Alvarado, 2015;McGee & Bentley, 2017), particularly in regards to their language and literacy practices (e.g., Baker-Bell et al., 2017;Brooks & Alvarado, 2020;Kinloch, 2005;Kynard, 2010). In this article, two female Black undergraduates (Narcarsia, a non-traditional college student and Zaria, a first In sharing these counterstories, we aim to offer concrete examples of the ways in which current educational practices exclude the histories, experiences, and literacy practices of Black students and the profound impact of that exclusion. ...
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