Understanding the Bidirectional Relationship Between School Climate for Diversity, Diversity Interactions, and Sense of Belonging

• In Event: Understanding how racially minoritized students navigate college contexts and relationships

Abstract

Research has indicated that meaningful interactions with diverse peers can positively affect one’s sense of belonging in higher education settings (Hussain & Jones, 2021). A positive climate for diversity has also been linked to a greater sense of belonging in schools (Hurtado & Ponjuan, 2005). Despite the growing body of literature on this subject, most research has used cross-sectional data and has assumed that campus climate for diversity and diverse interactions with peers predict belonging. However, it is possible that a sense of belonging impacts one’s perceptions of campus climate for diversity and the extent to which they will interact with diversity. The current study used longitudinal data to examine the bidirectional relationships between diversity interactions, school climate for diversity, and sense of belonging.
Perceived sense of belonging was measured using the Psychological Sense of School Membership Scale (Goodenow 1993). Perceived climate for diversity was measured using the School Climate for Diversity – College Scale (Byrd, 2016). Diversity interactions with peers was measured using an 8-item scale that measured how often participants engaged in diverse interactions such as having meaningful discussions about diverse others or having discussions with diverse others (Bowman, 2013). Data included 269 (73% female) second-year college STEM majors. Of the participants 40% identified as Asian, 28% as White, 19% as Latinx, and 13% identified as other or multiracial. Data were collected over four time points. Times one and two were collected during participants' sophomore year (mean age 20.18, SD 0.44) and times three and four in their senior year.
A cross-lagged panel model was used to analyze data with race and gender added as control variables. Sense of belonging significantly predicted perceptions of campus climate for diversity from time one to time two (B = 0.22, SE = 0.06, p < .001), time two to time three (B = 0.36, SE = 0.17, p = .03), and time three to time four (B = 0.40, SE = 0.12, p < .001). Perceptions of campus climate for diversity predicted diverse interactions with peers from time one to time two (B = 0.25, SE = 0.12, p = .04) and sense of belonging from time three to time four (B = 0.14, SE = 0.04, p = .002). Time one interactions with diverse peers predicted time two sense of belonging (B = 0.20, SE = 0.05, p < .001). Finally, time three diverse interactions with peers predicted time four perceptions of campus climate for diversity (B = 0.14 SE = 0.07, p = .04), and sense of belonging (B = 0.08, SE = 0.04, p = .03).
Previous research has established that perceptions of climate diversity affect one’s sense of belonging (Hurtado & Ponjuan, 2005). The current study supports this research but also shows that a sense of belonging may also affect students' perceptions of campus climate for diversity. These findings indicate that creating positive interpersonal relationships and experiences may play an important role in fostering greater perceptions of inclusion on campuses.

Authors

• Kevin Jerry Butler, Utah State University
  Presenting Author

• Amand Hardiman

• Diana Meter, Utah State University

• Alysha Ramirez Hall, University of California, Davis