Poster #25 - Diversity Seeking and Flourishing in College Students

• In Event: Poster Session 07

Abstract

Diversity-seeking is the inclination to pursue products, services, and experiences that are culturally diverse; people possessing this trait not only accept multiculturalism but also naturally and actively strive for inclusion in their daily lives (Brumbaugh & Grier, 2013). Appreciation of diversity and seeking diverse experiences with peers and instructors may increase college students’ sense of interpersonal relatedness and connectedness to the campus, which may contribute to the increment of well being and flourishing, as indicated in the self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Moreover, students with more experiences in diversity through positive interactions with peers and the completion of diversity courses were associated with higher scores on academic self-confidence and critical thinking abilities (Laird, 2005). Yet, some basic critical questions remain unanswered, such as what cultural competency means for college students, what kinds of educational experiences students choose for enhancing cultural competence, and how changes toward a diverse and inclusive environment are being sought and valued by students.
This study assesses different levels of college students’ diversity appreciation and diversity-seeking behaviors, and further explores the relationships among appreciation of diversity, diversity-seeking behaviors, and students’ cultural competence and flourishing. This study collected data on college students from one university (N = 161; age = 19.76 with SD = 2.55; male = 90, female = 66, and nonbinary = 5; STEM Major = 98 and Non-STEM = 63) in the United States. College students were recruited from classes in psychology (including five introduction-level classes and one upper-level class) for two semesters in Fall 2021 and Spring 2022. Students completed an online survey using Qualtrics on scales of (1) Appreciation of Diversity Scale, (2) Diversity seeking scale (Brumbaugh & Grier, 2013), (3) Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale – Short Form (Miville et al., 1999), (4) The Flourishing Scale (Diener et al., 2009), and (5) Intellectual Humility and Perspective-Taking Subscale of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (Davis, 1980, 1983).
Findings suggested that college students in this study presented moderate to relatively high interests in experiencing and learning about other cultures (see Table 2). Significant positive associations were found between appreciation of diversity, diversity-seeking behaviors, and cultural competence. Seeking diversity in a learning format (e.g., books, events, and courses), having an appreciation of diversity and cultural competency were positively associated with perspective taking and flourishing.
This study provides an extended understanding of the appreciation of diversity and diversity-seeking behaviors from college students' perspectives and provides empirical evidence supporting the link between diversity seeking and flourishing in college students. These results provide empirical evidence for university diversity initiatives and provide directions for such work based on students’ needs targeting diversifying campus culture.

Authors

• Ying Zhang, Clarkson University

• Samantha Cannata
  Presenting Author

• Jean Carlos Paredes, Clarkson University

• Cong Wang, University of Michigan