Predicting Student Cross-Racial Interaction During the First Year of College

• In Event: Roundtable Session 38
  In Roundtable Session: Division J Section 6 Roundtable 6

Abstract

This study explores the predictors of cross-racial interaction amongst first-year college students using data from the 2006 Freshman Survey (TFS) and the 2007 Your First College Year (YFCY) survey administered by the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) at UCLA. The current literature provides evidence that the educational benefits of diversity are associated with cross-racial interactions. However, little is known about the pre-college factors and first-year experiences that facilitate or deter students’ predispositions towards engaging with racially diverse peers during college. The findings indicate that K-12 schools and institutions of higher education can contribute significantly towards fostering a community and climate that encourages students to engage meaningfully with peers of a different race/ethnicity.

Author

• Marcia Violeta Fuentes, University of California - Los Angeles