A majority of school climate research has focused on the K-12 environment (Anderson, 1982; Beets, Flay, Vuchinich, Acock, Li, & Allred; 2008, Brand, Felner, Shim, Seitsinger, & Dumas, 2003; Bulach, & Malone, 1994; Ma & Klinger, 2000; MacNeil, Prater, & Busch, 2009). More recently, researchers have turned their attention to school climate on college and university campuses (Worthington, 2008; Rancon & Reson, 2008; Hart and Fellabaum, 2008). Two primary issues related to the need to monitor school climate and culture in higher education have taken shape over the past twenty years. One of the issues that has attracted considerable attention in higher education is the school climate experienced by racially, ethnically, and economically diverse …show more content…
The Journal of Diversity in Higher Education (December, 2008) devoted an entire issue to scholarly research on the measurement and assessment of campus-wide climate. This issue provided perspectives on definitions of school climate, as well as frameworks for studying the construct, and offered specific questionnaires. While the journal issue was useful to understand the current scholarship on school climate in higher education, the specific frameworks and questionnaires were ultimately not used, as the questionnaires were too specific or not relevant for our purposes as the instrument was at the School/College level. For example, articles focused on aspects of school climate that were either too specific or encompassed domains outside of the aim (e.g., Hurtado, Griffin, Arellano, & Cuellar, 2008; Hutchinson, Raymond, & Black, 2008). However, Rankin and Reason (2008) outlined a model to assess and transform school climate, with a particular emphasis on diversity. Although the actual framework proposed was not utilized, this article highlighted the importance of assessing this issue and contributed to use of diversity in our survey. Additional literature was sought to index climate surveys …show more content…
Specifically, the intent of this research is to share:
1) The significant history of measuring school climate at this one School/College;
2) The integrated summary of scholarly literature about climate including existing higher education institutional measures;
3) The rationale behind why institutional measures needed further refinement for the School/College level;
4) How the assessment committee played a vital role;
5) Results of the item and exploratory factor analyses results; and,
7) Recommendations for the longitudinal administration of the instrument in the same institution and offer recommendations for others that which to foster the philosophy that climate and student achievement are interconnected.
This study used a quantitative mode of inquiry to address the major research question: What are the underlying dimensions/domains and the associated reliabilities of the item
Diversity is a term known for, "variety." To be diverse is to have a range of different types of people all in one place. Different types of people can range from their race, background, social class, age, or religion. Those are just a few examples that can separate a person from others. To be aware of diversity around you is something everyone should take note of. Many people may not realize that they live in such a diverse world that they do not know how to cope with someone when they do find someone with a different background than they do. Washburn University has a very diverse population and Washburn and most of the students and faculty are aware of this and take great pride in it. Washburn University is not the biggest college and it
Washburn University has always been proud of having diversity since it first opened its doors to the public 151 years ago. If you are to look around campus many are able to see how much diversity is valued by the campus as a whole, they know everyone is different and each person has their own story to tell. If a university made it where no one is allowed to talk about where they came before and how they ended up where they are in life. what is the point of being proud of who you are? For me, it is important for each person to be proud of the person who they are because they could have had to overcome so much in life to make it to this point of being an undergraduate.
New York University is a school that amazes me in every aspect. With its WRITE QUALITIES. Nonetheless, the location of the school is what takes my breath away—New York City. To me, the city is a mystifying place left to be explored by its many inhabitants; a place of discovery, wonder, excitement, confusion, and opportunities. Diversity is a huge part of NYU as its student body contains numerous international students and people of color. The chance to learn about different cultures and ideas inspires me as the diversity doesn’t stop at the school’s buildings. It continues into every borough of the city and would allow me to connect with unique people and their backgrounds.
In order to study the need of a racially and culturally diverse college campus, the journey and battles fought must be dicussed. While there is a lack of diversity on college campuses today, they are not completely devoid of people of color. However, there was a time when college campuses were one hundred percent Caucasian. Jonathan R. Alger, Jorge Chapa and a team of researchers conducted studies on various college classrooms. They then went on to publish their findings in a book titled Does Diversity make a Difference? The purpose of their paper was to discuss the importance of diversity and reveal the effects of non-diverse campus. They begin their book by taking a look into the history of diversity in America. The start of the Civil Rights movement along with President Lyndon B. Johnson’s war on poverty took place in the mid 1960s. These events forced the country to face the reality of the people of color in America. These Americans of color did not have equal access to education, jobs, housing, or other valued resources (Alger et al. 2000). College administrators and faculty were starting to understand the necessity of a diverse campus. The realized that people of color had just as much to offer to the United States as the Caucasian majority. During that time, “many higher education faculty members and administrators were deeply concerned that abandonment of race sensitive admissions and hiring, at a time when most minority groups continue to be unrepresented in higher education, will severely limit campus diversity and would undermine the learning environment for all students.” (Alger et al. 2000). Additionally, a lot of the traditionally white colleges and universities were provoked and questioned by the concerns of their students. The universities and colleges began to notice their inability to extend the same educational
With the ratification of the 14th Amendment in 1868, prohibiting states from passing laws that deny U.S. citizens from equal protection under the law, the Supreme Court has been obliged to provide decisions that are color-blind (U.S. Const. Amend XIV, § 1). However, the Court often viewed education as a state issue and was reluctant to get involved. That all changed in the 1954 Supreme Court decision known as Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. In this ruling, it was decided that, “State-sanctioned segregation of public schools was a violation of the 14th Amendment and was therefore constitutional” (National Archives, n.d.). It was at this time that the Supreme Court began to hear more cases regarding racial inequities in
In higher education, diversity has many meanings and even more implications. The Encarta World English Dictionary defines diversity as, “social inclusiveness - ethnic variety, as well as socioeconomic and gender variety, in a group, society, or institution” (Soukhanov, 1999). As important as diversity is tolerance. Encarta World English Dictionary defines tolerance as, “acceptance of different views - the acceptance of the differing views of other people, e.g. in religious or political matters, and fairness toward the people who hold these different views” (Soukhanov, 1999). The following is a definition of diversity in higher education, description of the diversity of the students and staff of WGU, and how WGU
America is a place that was founded as being the melting pot of the world’s population. High schools, community colleges and universities are often a smaller representation of the United States as a whole. In Northern Michigan there is a community college named Mid-Michigan Community College (MMCC). MMCC has two campuses Harrison and Mount Pleasant, which serve different student populations. Harrison is the main campus, which typically sees more poverty stricken students and Mount Pleasant which see broader diversity and a higher affluent population, due to Central Michigan University being down the road.
Different aspects of diversity in higher education are an ongoing topic of debate. In order for us to address the issue of diversity, we need to understand what diversity means. This paper reviews a study used at the University of Florida to assess their faculty’s meaning of diversity. It also looked at the faculty’s openness to diversity and the effect diversity has had on them. Researchers at Weber State University could use this, or a similar study, to gain an understanding of what diversity means to faculty at Weber State, as well as diversity’s impact.
Opposers of diversity argue the addition of diversity in universities cause a less level of educational satisfaction. The argument points toward negative race relations, rejection of high score students, and the relaxing of academic standards among faculty members. Stanley Rothman says, “A higher level of diversity is associated with somewhat less educational satisfaction and worse race relations among students.” (123). Universities are prestigious institutions, often requiring a Ph.D to serve as a professor. Professors will not lower the difficulty of the material given or grade more lenient because a minority is taking part in the class. Yes, there will be a performance difference between the minority student and their counterparts, decreasing the academic reputation of the school, but the academic standards will remain the same no matter how many minority students are enrolled in the university. College
The analysis is centered around students’ perception and experience about various difference and inclusion issues on SPPU campus. However, campus climate of an institution includes much more than students’ perception and experience in an environment. In the paper, few important themes have been explored to represent an overview of SPPU campus climate. Findings of the analysis indicate that student to student connection on and out of the campus is weak. Around more than two-third participants are dissatisfied with transportation, recreational facilities, and food availability on the campus. One respondent shared that “transportation and food is a
The school has a diverse student campus which has changed over the last 5 to 10 years. The school serves a more racial and ethnically diverse student body. Whereas the school consisted of Blacks and Caucasians, an influx of Hispanics and other ethnic groups are now enrolled.
According to A CBS News research in 2009, the majority of Americans support diversity on college campuses through race policies in Higher Education. This statistic give an indicator that
Through my literature review, several perspectives have been examined when measuring school climate including: parents, students and teachers. These are not often looked at together, but separate indicators of a positive school climate. In many of the studies reviewed, fourth and fifth grade students completed a survey using a school climate index to determine their perception of the climate in schools. There is a relationship between school climate and student behavior at all schools, urban, suburban, and rural (Thapa, 2013). The research by Thapa highlights that school climate has a impact on student outcomes. Futhermore, the area of socio-emotional learning is addressed along with climate and success of students. This
The objective of this course was to examine current research on academic success and the diversity in schools. I realized how encouraging academic and social growth stems from building relationships and creating a supportive environment that fosters resiliency and strength in my students.
The racial climate at primarily white institutions has been widely publicized, especially as discussions about political correctness in American society have increased. The University of Louisville was criticized in 2015, when local news outlets publicized tensions present in the school’s honors dorm and the school’s president, James Ramsey, faced backlash for donning a Mexican garb for Halloween season festivities. The following literature review attempts to set a foundation for the discussion of whether or not students are prepared to interact with students from racial backgrounds different from their own, and whether or not students who have experienced discrimination in college expected to when they chose the University of Louisville.