Campus Diversity Climate, College Satisfaction, and Academic Performance Among Black Students at Selective Institutions

• In Event: 2429 - Open Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Roundtable 3

Abstract

Black student satisfaction is a prevalent area of research. Studies that have examined student satisfaction discovered that Black students at Traditionally White Institutions (TWIs) with a higher number of Black students reported higher levels of overall satisfaction (Flores & Park, 2013; Jackson, 2013; Mwangi et al., 2018). Additionally, studies that have examined student satisfaction with the racial climate found Black and Asian college seniors indicated significantly lower overall satisfaction than their White and Latinx peers (Jones, 2015; Mwangi et al., 2018; Slay, 2017)
Furthermore, despite the increase in Black student enrollment at less selective institutions, they are significantly underrepresented at selective 4-year institutions (Astin & Oseguera, 2004; Allen & Solorzano, 2001). One of the implications of a smaller group of Black students at selective institutions is that the majority of the literature on Black college students tends to use data from less selective institutions (Melguizo, 2010). Additionally, most studies seemed to limit their focus to Black students’ college access, lack of academic preparation, and the benefits of diversity (Gurin, Dey, Hurtado, & Gurin, 2002; Milem, 2003; Palmer, Davis, & Maramba, 2010; Reid, 2013). Consequently, there is a missed opportunity to better understand how campus diversity climate and Black students’ perceptions on campus diversity affects college success outcomes.
This study attempts to address these research gaps by providing some insight into how campus diversity climate affects college satisfaction and GPA among Black undergraduate students attending highly selective institutions. Specifically, this study is guided by the following research questions: (1) What are the average college GPA, college satisfaction, and perception of campus diversity climate among Black students at selective institutions as compared to those for their peers in other racial groups? (2) How does campus diversity climate affect college satisfaction and GPA among Black students at selective institutions?

Authors

• Young K. Kim, Azusa Pacific University

• Cameron Conn, Baptist College of Health Sciences

• Ashley Hamilton, University of La Verne

• Kenyatta Price, College Board