Transcript Importance of diversity in enrollment decision

“Diversity and Its Discontents”: A Report on Graduate
Student Experiences in PhD-Granting Institutions
Denise A. Segura
ASA Annual Meeting 2012
Key Questions
• Are African American, Latina/o, and White students
equally satisfied with their graduate programs?
• Do graduate students value racial-ethnic diversity
differently and if so, how is this related to program
satisfaction?
• Do racial-ethnic minority students report more
discrimination than White students?
• Are there perceived differences in the ways that Minority
and White students are mentored & professionalized?
Procedures
• Online Survey
• Administered Summer 2009 by UCSB
Social Science Survey Research Center
• 22 doctoral programs in sociology
• 1473 students surveyed
• 685 respondents, response rate=44%
• MFP students = 33/73
Socio-Demographic Characteristics of the Respondents
White
(n = 338)
Latina/o
(n = 82)
African
American
(n = 86)
Asian
(n = 78)
% Female
64
60
66
67
% Male
36
40
31
32
Mean age
30
31.5
31
31
Average years in program
4.1
5.2
4.7
4.8
% U.S. citizen
93.5
93
95
54
% ≥ College grad – Mom
62
41.5
43
44
% ≥ College grad – Dad
66
35
35
52.5
% < High School – Mom
3
27
8
19
% < High School – Dad
4
38
15
6
“Top 3 reasons students go to Grad School”
African American
Latino
White
Contribute to the
advancement of
minorities in the US
Grow intellectually
Grow intellectually
Grow Intellectually
Contribute to my
community
Improve
occupational
mobility
Improve
occupational
mobility
Contribute to the
advancement of
minorities in the US
Make a contribution
to the field
Program Satisfaction
(1= very dissatisfied to 4 = very satisfied)
4
3
2
*
White
African Am
Latina/o
1
0
*p < .05
Importance of racial-ethnic diversity in enrollment
decision (1=not at all important to 4=very important)
3
*
White
African Am
Latina/o
2
1
*
0
Department
Diversity
*p < .001
Faculty of Color
*p < .01
Means (SD) associated with the Values of Diversity Variables
(1=Not at all represented to 4 = very well represented)
African
White (W) American
(AA)
(n = 335)
(n = 86)
“Too few faculty of
color” (1=strongly disagree
Latina/o
(L)
(n=81)
P<.05
3.0 (.9)
3.5 (.9)
3.5 (.8)
W<AA, L
6.0 (1.4)
5.2 (1.4)
5.6 (1.5)
W<AA
to 4=strongly agree)
Race representation in
courses (range 2 to 8)↑
Race representation in
faculty research
3.4 (.7)
3.1 (.8)
3.1 (.7)
W<AA, L
Race representation in
student research
3.5 (.7)
3.3 (.8)
3.2 (.7)
W<AA, L
How often have you experienced
discrimination because of your race/ethnicity?
Frequency
2
White
African Am
Latino
1
0
*
Ethnicity
*p < .001
Finding: White students reported experiencing racial discrimination
significantly less frequently than Latino & African Americans
How often have you experienced discrimination
because of your research interest?
Frequency
2
1
*
White
African Am
Latino
*p < .01
0
Ethnicity
Finding: Latino students reported experiencing discrimination more often
compared to White students.
“I feel that (1) White or (2) Racial-Ethnic-minority students
are given advantages in this department that discriminate
against other students.”
(1=strongly disagree to 4=strongly agree)
3
2
* *
*
1
0
White
African Am
Latina/o
*p < .001
Agree White
advantage
Agree minority
advantage
Multiple Regression Analyses Predicting Program
Satisfaction from Peer Social Climate Variables
White
Students
(n=311)
Students of
Color
(n = 235)
β
β
Sig
Sig
Respect among students
.19
.01
.16
.05
Acceptance by peers
.21
.001
.33
.001
Discrimination from
peers
0
ns
.03
ns
Perceived White student
advantage
.01
ns
-.19
.01
Perceived Racial-Ethnic
Minority advantage
-.25
.001
-.02
ns
How often do you receive guidance and mentoring
from faculty regarding: opportunities to collaborate
on research; (2) co-author; (3) obtain grants (4) apply
for fellowships; (5) publish?
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
*
White
African Am
Latina/o
*p < .05
Multiple Regression Analyses Predicting Program
Satisfaction from Faculty Mentoring Variables
White
Students
(n = 282)
African
American
(n = 66)
Latina/o
(n = 74)
β
Sig
β
Sig
β
Frequency of
Mentoring
.47
.001
.40
.01
.40 .001
II. Advice regarding
academic survival
.17
.001
.20
ns
.20
ns
III. Respect from
Faculty
.21
.001
.09
ns
.09
ns
I.
Sig
Career Preparation and Expectations
(% students)
White
Latina/o
MFP¹
37
African
American
40
Have published article(s)
44
Presented at a
professional meeting
81
82
85
100
Completely certain of
finishing their PhD¹
79
67*
85
90
Expect to be employed
at Research I university
47
44
41
39
Perceive it will be “easy”
to get the job they want
26
35
16*
----
55
¹Due to small size of MFP respondents, statistical tests for significance were not undertaken involving this group.
Key Findings
• Faculty & departmental diversity more important
in the enrollment decisions of African Americans
& Latinas/os compared to White students.
• African Americans feel it will be “less easy to get
the job they want
• Graduate student satisfaction is significantly
predicted by increased mentoring.
• Latinas/os tend to report lower levels of faculty
mentorship and professional guidance than
other groups.
• Perceived “other” race-ethnic group advantage
is negatively associated with program
satisfaction.
A Safe Space to Dialogue Needed
“Graduate students are in a very precarious
situation as they are not really able to express
their concerns regarding the department. If
changes need to be made whether structural,
cultural or social - how do the students vocalize
their concerns when power differentials are
definitely at play. It appears that females and
students of color are constantly walking on
eggshells with regard to their present and future
careers.” (#565)
Acknowledgements
• Funding provided by the American Sociological
Association and UC Santa Barbara’s Institute for Social,
Behavioral and Economic Research.
• Survey administered by UC Santa Barbara’s Social
Science Survey Research Center (SSRC)
• Special thanks to Dr. Laura Romo, UCSB Gevirtz
Graduate School of Education for her leadership in data
analysis and Dr. Roberta Spalter-Roth for her advice on
survey construction and analysis.
• Co-PIs are Denise Segura, Scott Brooks, and Jean Shin.
• Full SREM Report at:
http://www.asanet.org/Final_ASA_SREM_Committee_R
eport_2011.pdf