Not All Diversity Interactions Are Created Equal: Cross-Racial Interaction, Close Interracial Friendship, and Student Outcomes

• In Event: Explorations of Diversity and Democracy

Abstract

Higher education practitioners and researchers have emphasized the educational benefits of fostering meaningful interracial interactions on college campuses. The link between cross-racial interaction and student growth has received considerable empirical attention, but far less is known about whether and when interracial friendship predicts student outcomes, and some theoretical frameworks suggest that these types of interpersonal diversity experiences may have differential effects. The present study examined this issue using a four-year longitudinal dataset with 2,932 undergraduates at 28 institutions. Within hierarchical linear modeling analyses that control for precollege attributes, institutional characteristics, and college experiences, cross-racial interaction is frequently associated with improved student outcomes, whereas close interracial friendship has virtually no effect. Moreover, this overall pattern is consistent across several racial/ethnic groups.

Authors

• Nicholas A. Bowman, Bowling Green State University

• Julie J. Park, University of Maryland - College Park