Exploring students’ perceptions of the campus climate and intergroup relations, and creating a more equitable university

• In Event: Education and the Making of Democracy: Attitudes, Perceptions, Tensions, and Educational Imaginaries

Proposal

In this paper we will present the preliminary results of empirical research conducted at a minority-serving university in the Mid-Atlantic region (US). The purpose of this study was three-fold: (1) to get insights into students’ perceptions of the campus climate in terms of its inclusiveness; (2) to understand the intergroup relations between the students, and (3) to analyze students’ understanding of intercultural (or global) citizenship.

The main rationale for initiating this research project was to bridge the gap that currently exists between international and civic education in a format accessible to large numbers of students. When people consider developing intercultural (or global) citizenship competencies, often the first thing that comes to mind is studying abroad. However, even in the case of programs with a primary aim to strengthen students’ active citizenship as, for example, ERASMUS (European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) (see European Commission, 2015), the impact of study abroad experience on students’ civic growth is quite debatable (Author 1 et al., 2018; European Commission, 2019; Mitchell, 2012). Moreover, an earlier empirical dataset has shown that there is no relation between ‘feeling a citizen’ of an international community and ‘being actively engaged’ in this community (Author 1 et al., 2018). While we do not deny that study abroad experience holds positive potential for developing students’ intercultural (or global) citizenship, it is simply not accessible to all students. Therefore, we argue that intercultural citizenship education should be addressed in a more systematic way at universities (Author 1 et al., 2017a; Author 1 et al., 2020). Universities should offer intercultural learning opportunities to all students regardless of whether or not they are able to participate in study abroad programs. Such learning opportunities should address the needs of culturally diverse campus communities in order to enhance inclusion and social justice and to build a more equitable university. They need to engage those students who cannot travel abroad for whatever reason.

In this paper, we will first provide a brief overview of theory and pedagogy of intercultural citizenship education (based on Byram, 2008; Author 1 et al., 2017b) and the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC) (Council of Europe, 2018).

Then, we will share findings from a campus-wide survey, in which we collected responses from 820 undergraduate and graduate students. We used the Delphi method to validate the design of this survey. Ten world-renowned experts on international and civic education joined the Delphi panel and after three rounds of questionnaires were completed a consensus was achieved. Also, to ensure reliability and validity in our research, we piloted our survey with 150 participants before launching it campus-wide.

The statistical analysis of the survey data collected in Fall 2021 showed that the vast majority of students feel that the university campus is very inclusive in terms of their gender and sexual orientation. In terms of their religious beliefs and ideological worldviews these numbers are somewhat lower. We also analyzed students’ intergroup relations,how diverse their friendships are, and in what spaces they feel comfortable discussing topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The survey also asked students to explain and elaborate on their understanding of intercultural citizenship.

Based on these research findings we developed a set of intercultural learning modules (known as InterEqual), which we will present in the final part of our paper. These modules will be accessible for all students at our university, without exception, and free of cost. Through the example of the InterEqual initiative, we will provide a preview of an innovative new approach for how intercultural citizenship education can be implemented in university settings.

The novelty of this research project and its main contribution to the field of international and civic education is that it builds on an innovative idea of a strong synergy between internationalization at home and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives; and that it offers a possible strategy toward creating a more equitable university, and an opportunity to develop students’ intercultural (or global) citizenship even if they are not able to travel outside their country.




References:
Author 1 et al. (2017a)
Author 1 et al. (2017b)
Author 1 et al. (2018)
Author 1 et al. (2020)
Byram, M. (2008). From Foreign Language Education to Education for Intercultural Citizenship: Essays and Reflections. Multilingual Matters.
Council of Europe (2018). Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture [3 volumes]. Accessed August 5, 2022 https://www.coe.int/en/web/reference-framework-of-competences-for-democratic-culture/rfcdc-volumes
European Commission (2015). Erasmus + Programme Guide. Version 3 (2015): 14/11/2014. Accessed May 1, 2015 http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/discover/guide/index_en.htm
European Commission (2019). Erasmus+ Higher Education Impact Study. Accessed April 12, 2021. file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/NC0219323ENN.en.pdf
Mitchell, K. (2012). Student Mobility and European Identity: Erasmus Study as a civic experience? Journal of Contemporary European Research, 8(4), 490-518.

Authors

• Irina V. Golubeva, University of Maryland Baltimore County

• Adam M Holden, UMBC