Cross-Racial Interaction Among Undergraduates: Some Consequences, Causes, and Patterns

Authors: Chang M.J.¹; Astin A.W.²; Kim D.²

Source: Research in Higher Education, Volume 45, Number 5, August 2004 , pp. 529-553(25)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

This study utilized a national longitudinal data set of college students to examine the educational relevance of cross-racial interaction and how campuses can best structure such opportunities. The general pattern of findings suggests that cross-racial interaction has positive effects on students' intellectual, social, and civic development. The results show that institutions could enhance such experiences by enrolling larger proportions of students of color and by offering students more opportunities to live and work part-time on campus. While these findings apply uniformly to white students, the frequency of cross-racial interaction does not always follow an expected path of steady gains for students of color as the student body becomes increasingly more diverse. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Keywords: race; diversity; campus climate; student development; equity; affirmative action

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/B:RIHE.0000032327.45961.33

Affiliations: 1: Higher Education and Organizational Change, University of California, Los Angeles, Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, 3038 Moore Hall, Box 951521, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1521; mjchang@gseis.ucla.edu, Email: mjchang@gseis.ucla.edu 2: University of California, Los Angeles

Publication date: 2004-08-01