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Talking about Diversity: The Faculty Role
Susan Swayze, Ph.D. ([email protected])
Educational Research, Department of Educational Leadership
Rick Jakeman, Ed.D. ([email protected])
Higher Education Administration, Department of Educational Leadership
Purpose
Findings: Talking about Diversity
Methodology
Minority students face barriers to education, “chilly” campus climates, and
marginalization as academic outsiders in graduate education (Ferguson,
1992; Cuyjet, 1998). As graduate students are typically employed, have
family roles, and/or spend time off-campus, the classroom serves as a
primary academic involvement and retention space (Tinto, 2007). It is in
this space that students must interact with each other and faculty, and hold
discussions on higher education topics.
1. Students described classroom discussions as risky and stressful.
Given the complex nature of diverse learning environments, basic
interpretive qualitative research design (Merriam, 2002) was employed.
Data was collected using one-time, audio-taped, semi-structured
interviews with graduate students. Interviews followed an interview
protocol that was developed based on the literature and pilot testing. The
interview protocol consisted of 20 questions, lasting from 40-60 minutes.
The purpose of the study was to investigate the experiences how minority
(non-White and LGBT) graduate students perceived the faculty role in
discussions of diversity in the classroom.
Key Literature Points
Students’ exposure to diversity contributes to academic and social growth.
“The actual experience students have with diversity consistently and
meaningfully affect important learning and democracy outcomes of a
college education” (Gurin, Dey, Hurtado, & Gurin, 2002, p. 358).
Pedagogy, policy, and practices that utilize diversity and diversity
resources benefit student learning and development (Lee, 2012).
Understanding the campus environment from different racial backgrounds
is important to fostering the educational benefits of diverse learning
environments, especially in classroom and extracurricular settings
(Hurtado, Milem, Clayton-Penderson, & Allen, 1999, p. 2)
Black and White students engage course material in different ways, with
White students twice as likely than Black students to discuss race, or
experiences of racism. It is unclear how this second-hand account of
experiences with race or racism affects student course interactions or the
classroom experience for Black students (Pitt & Packard, 2012).
Students rely on habits, routines, and stereotypes to form views of
diversity in education. This thinking may result in barriers to education,
chilly campus climates, and marginalization of minority students in
graduate education. Therefore, in order to create inclusive campus
climates, it is assumed that intense resources are needed to influence
students’ perceptions of diversity (Hurtado, 2007).
I think that in the classroom it has been particularly frustrating … the
professor has not taken the opportunity to really challenge or push the
envelope with students who have made comments. So, I felt charged to
do that. I don’t know in what situations other students feel charged to
defend things in that way. In some instances has been draining. It’s very,
very taxing. While I enjoy contributing to somebody’s learning experience,
after awhile, I just realize that I personally just hit my mark where I’m just
done. I need this to not be a conversation anymore or the narrative
anymore. So in that regard, it has been draining.
I have a hard time sharing my opinions in class anyway because
discussions, even though we sort of laid down ground rules at the very
beginning of the class like … ‘We’re going to respect other people’s
opinions,’ but everyone tends to have the same opinion. And, whenever
you try to express a different opinion, it gets a little bit hostile. … [The
students] jump in very quickly. They are very set in their beliefs … it feels
a little bit hostile to me.
2. Classrooms can be safe places to discuss diversity. However,
each classroom has its own culture.
If someone makes a comment—particularly we had a student that was
from a rural part of the country and had certain assumptions about urban
minorities, for example. If there was something that was said, it was a
comfortable enough environment to say, ‘Well, you can’t say that. That’s a
gross generalization.’ And, you could correct someone if they were making
a statement that was overgeneralized. You felt comfortable calling them
out about it and it was typically received well. I don’t feel that anyone in
the classroom took it personally when someone would disagree with their
opinion, particularly when stereotype or generalizations are made about a
certain population that one may not have experience with. It was very
much okay to say, ‘Well, that’s not my experience with that group and
maybe you might be overstretching or generalizing or stereotyping a bit,’
and it was usually well received.
I will say that I don’t know that you always get to know the professors as
well, for whatever reason. And, just being honest, given that for me I’m in
the [doctoral] program, I don’t want to tick off any of the professors that I
have and so I think that might be a deterrent. You’re not necessarily going
to take that conversation in a direction that may or may not jeopardize
your relationship with the professor, not knowing whether you’re going to
have them again because it’s a very small department or whether they’re
going to be maybe sitting on your dissertation group or something like
that. So you’re going to want to make sure that you’re going to build that
relationship in a very positive direction.
3. Faculty have the ability to influence classroom discussion and
classroom climate.
Theory of Diversity and Learning
The study utilized the theory of diversity and learning (Gurin, Dey, Hurtado,
& Gurin, 2002) as an interpretive lens.
The theory posits “the actual experience students have with diversity
consistently and meaningfully affects important learning and democracy
outcomes of a college education” (Gurin et al., 2002, p. 358) and provides
the clearest view of how students’ interactions with diverse peers and the
effectiveness of institutional practices shape what happens to student
learning during college.
I feel like the professors have done a good job to bring up the discussions
about race or talk about it. Also, I feel like it's very cool to see a professor
who knows how to manage a classroom when there is sometimes
something very heated come up about race and how they can sometimes
defuse it and bring back the conversation to be very tolerant. I saw that
one time and I thought—I was like, wow, that's really, really cool when I
saw a professor do that because they bring it back down not to people to
be adversary but more of like, ‘Let's bring this down and talk about this
civilly and try to think about it objectively as much as possible.’
Data analysis used Saldana’s (2009) first and second cycle coding
method. This process allowed for the development of open codes to
identify constructs, as well as theoretical codes to track and link constructs
found in the data. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis techniques
and with the theory of diversity and learning as an interpretive lens.
The sample consisted of 17 minority graduate enrolled in at least 6 credit
hours during the Spring 2013 semester. Students self-identified as nonWhite and/or LGBT. Students were pursuing a graduate degree in higher
education administration at a large urban university in the Mid-Atlantic.
Identity
13 non-White* students 6 LGBT* students
Gender
10 female students
7 male students
Degree Pursued
6 master’s degree
11 doctoral degree
*2 students self-identified as both non-White and LGBT
Faculty Recommendations
Engaging students in classroom discussions about diversity is not easy.
Faculty and students bring their own experiences into the classroom
environment that can contribute to success or stress when diversity topics
are discussed.
We offer faculty the following recommendations:
1. Faculty shape classroom culture—be intentional with your pedagogical
approach.
2. Faculty should be cognizant that some students may feel vulnerable
engaging in classroom discussions about diversity.
3. Faculty should model inclusive and safe classroom etiquette—
language, tone, interaction, and listening.
4. Faculty should include a safe classrooms statement in their course
syllabus.
Safe Classroom Syllabus Statement
Our university is proud to be a diverse community made up of students,
faculty, staff, and administrators that represent a large variety of
communities. As such discussions of diversity and inclusion are likely to
occur in and out of the classroom. In the classroom, it is important that all
students feel comfortable while participating in conversations on the topics
on race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, sexuality, and sexual
orientation.
To that end, we suggest the following guiding principles:
•
Be a patient listener – remain professional, respectful, and
courteous.
•
Take comments to be well meaning – we all come from different
places and experiences.
•
If you have a strong differing opinion, be gracious with your
comments.
•
Appeal to the faculty member when you feel uncomfortable with a
discussion.
In sum, treat your colleagues in class like you would want to be treated so
that we can have fruitful discussions that broaden our thinking.