Enacting
Diverse
Learning Environments:
Improving the Climate for Racial/Ethnic Diversity
in Higher Education
Research over the
years has begun to provide important guidance in understanding
how to achieve diversity while improving the social and learning
environments for students from different racial/ethnic backgrounds.
One key to enacting diverse learning environments lies in
understanding and developing programs and policies to improve
the campus climate for racial/ethnic diversity, which involves
understanding the environment from the perspectives of members
from different racial/ethnic backgrounds, creating opportunities
for improved race relations that permeate the classroom and
extracurricular lives of students, and realizing the educational
benefits of diverse learning environments for students who
will need to be prepared to meet the demands of a complex,
diverse society. Given the extensive effort and progress colleges
and universities have made toward diversification in the last
20 to 30 years, it is important to reflect on how learning
and educational objectives can be maximized.
WHAT IS
THE CAMPUS CLIMATE FOR RACIAL/ETHNIC DIVERSITY?
To improve the
climate, one must conceptualize it in relation to racial/ethnic
diversity so that its impact can be assessed. In higher education
research, the campus climate has been defined as the current
perceptions, attitudes, and expectations that define the institution
and its members (Peterson and Spencer 1990). These common
attitudes and perceptions have been conceptualized as malleable
and distinguishable from the stable norms and beliefs that
may constitute an organizational culture. This perspective
of the climate is modified by researchers who have begun to
systematically assess the climate by examining the perceptions
and attitudes of various groups on campus, and it is greatly
enhanced by theories of race relations and social psychology
when the psychological climate is related to racial/ethnic
diversity. These theories present the notion that quite diverse
views of the environment emerge as a result of racial dynamics
that develop on a campus. Theories of race relations and racial
attitudes assist us in understanding why an individual or
group may hold a particular view of the environment. Moreover,
although traditional notions of climate have focused on the
psychological dimension, it is linked with a historical legacy
of exclusion at the institution, its structural diversity,
and behaviors on campus that include interactions inside and
outside the classroom. These aspects of the institutional
context are informed by changes in government and policy and
the larger forces of sociohistorical change in our society.
This framework provides a sense of how racial/ethnic diversity
permeates many aspects of a campus environment and the many
ways in which researchers have attempted to capture aspects
of the issue of diversity on campus. A key finding emerging
from this literature is that each aspect of this framework
is connected with each other. That is, campuses can no longer
speak about changes in the number of diverse students without
recognizing how this change affects the psychological climate
or opportunities for interaction across different groups on
campus-- and ultimately changes in educational outcomes for
students.
WHAT IMPACT
DOES THE CLIMATE FOR DIVERSITY HAVE ON STUDENTS?
An important principle
underlying this conceptualization of the climate for diversity
is that different racial/ethnic groups often view the campus
differently, a fact that has been confirmed in numerous studies.
Further, each conception is valid because it has real consequences
for the individual (Astin 1968; Tierney 1987). In this regard,
it is realistic to find research studies in which some elements
of the climate may have more salience for particular groups
and therefore take on more importance in students' lives as
a result. Therefore, "Enacting Diverse Learning Environments"attempts
to draw from studies on many different racial/ethnic groups
to provide a balanced portrait of how different groups view
the campus climate and experience its effects. It also brings
to light some of the lesser known studies to connect them
with the more widely read theory and research in higher education,
psychology, and sociology. Moreover, both researchers and
educators must acknowledge there is much to be learned from
research conducted on specific groups, including African-American,
Asian Pacific-American, Latino, Native American, and white
students. Overall, the literature reveals how the different,
interrelated aspects of the climate for diversity are linked
with a broad range of educational outcomes for diverse groups
of students.
First, the research
shows that increasing the racial/ethnic diversity on a campus
while neglecting to attend to the racial climate can result
in difficulties for students of color as well as for white
students. Research has documented well how different racial/ethnic
groups can experience difficulties as a result of a poor racial
climate. This research shows that individuals' and particular
groups' perceptions of the environment are not inconsequential
or intangible, but have tangible and real effects on the transition
to college and on educational outcomes. Second, many studies
indicate the importance of having diverse peers in the learning
environment for important outcomes, such as improvements in
students' ability to engage in more complex thinking about
problems and to consider multiple perspectives, and improvements
in intergroup relations and understanding. Harnessing the
learning that can be achieved through contact in student peer
groups is key. Third, additional empirical studies reveal
that, under certain optimal conditions, racial conflict can
be minimized and learning environments enhanced by diversity.
Much of this work suggests that providing opportunities for
quality interaction and an overall climate of support results
not only in a better racial climate but also in important
learning outcomes for students. In many ways, racial/ethnic
diversity is linked with institutional goals for learning
and teaching.
HOW CAN
THE CLIMATE FOR RACIAL/ETHNIC DIVERSITY BE IMPROVED TO ENHANCE
THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT?
Improving the climate
may require some fundamental institutional changes. Most basic
is a conceptual shift in thinking about how diversity is central
to the institution's overall priorities for teaching and learning,
which also requires a change in how students are regarded
or valued. Twelve principles derived from the research can
become central in campus initiatives to improve the climate
for racial/ethnic diversity. It begins with an articulation
of how diversity is central to education and continues with
self-examination. Second, institutions can structure opportunities
for increased interaction and involvement among students from
diverse racial/ethnic groups in the classroom and outside
the classroom. A limited number of examples of promising practices
in "Enacting Diverse Learning Environments" attempt
to realize the potential benefits of racially/ethnically diverse
student environments and intentionally create opportunities
for learning and interacting across communities of difference.
REFERENCES
Astin, A.W. 1968.
"The College Environment." Washington, D.C.: American
Council on Education.
Bauer, K. 1998.
"Understanding the Critical Components of Today's Colleges
and Universities." New Directions for Institutional Research
No. 98. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Hurtado, S., J.F.
Milem, A. Clayton-Pedersen, and W.A. Allen. 1998. "Enhancing
Campus Climates for Racial/Ethnic Diversity: Educational Policy
and Practice." "Review of Higher Education"
21(3): 279-302.
Peterson, M.W.,
and M.G. Spencer. 1990. "Understanding Academic Culture
and Climate." In "Assessing Academic Climates and
Cultures," edited by W.G. Tierney. New Directions for
Institutional Research No. 68. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Smith, D.G., and
Associates. 1997. "Diversity Works: The Emerging Picture
of How Students Benefit." Washington, D.C.: Association
of American Colleges and Universities. ED 416 797. 159 pp.
MF-01; PC not available EDRS.
Tierney, W.G. 1987.
"Facts and Constructs: Defining Reality in Higher Education
Organizations." "Review of Higher Education"
11(1): 61-73.
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