This study built upon research examining the effects of diversity in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields and higher education by investigating the relationship between student perceptions of campus diversity and classroom engagement for first- and second-year Latinx and White students at two structurally diverse institutions. Findings suggested that perceptions of campus climate have a positive and significant relationship with classroom engagement—which is an important indicator of overall grade point average.
AntonioA. L.ChangM. J.HakutaK.KennyD. A.LevinS.MilemJ. F. (2004). Effects of racial diversity on complex thinking in college students. Psychological Science, 15(8), 507–510.
2.
AstinA. W. (1993). What matters in college? Four critical years revisited. Jossey-Bass.
3.
BentlerP. M. (1990). Comparative fit indexes in structural models. Psychological Bulletin, 107(2), 238–246.
4.
BentlerP. M.BonnetD. G. (1980). Significance tests and goodness of fit in the analysis of covariance structures. Psychological Bulletin, 88(3), 588–606.
5.
ByrneB. M.ShavelsonR. J.MuthénB. (1989). Testing for the equivalence of factor covariance and mean structures: The issue of partial measurement invariance. Psychological Bulletin, 105(3), 456–466.
6.
ChangM. J.SharknessJ.HurtadoS.NewmanC. B. (2014). What matters in college for retaining aspiring scientists and engineers from underrepresented racial groups. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 51(5), 555–580.
7.
ChatmanS. (2007). Overview of the University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES) response rate and bias issues. Center for Studies in Higher Education.
8.
ChatmanS. (2009a). Factor structure and reliability of the 2008 and 2009 SERU/UCUES questionnaire core. Center for Studies in Higher Education.
9.
ChatmanS. (2009b). Measures of nonresponse bias associated with the 2008 administration of the University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey. Center for Studies in Higher Education.
10.
ChatmanS. (2011). No evidence of substantive nonresponse bias for the 2011 administration. Center for Studies in Higher Education.
11.
ChiM. T. H. (2009). Active-constructive-interactive: A conceptual framework for differentiating learning activities. Topics in Cognitive Science, 1(1), 73–105.
12.
ChiM. T. H.MenekseM. (2015). Dialogue patterns in peer collaboration that promote learning. In ResnickL. B.AsterhanC. A.ClarkS. N. (Eds.), Socializing intelligence through academic talk and dialogue (pp. 263–274). American Educational Research Association.
13.
ChiM. T. H.WylieR. (2014). The ICAP framework: Linking cognitive engagement to active learning outcomes. Educational Psychologist, 49(4), 219–243.
14.
ChickeringA. W.GamsonZ. F. (1987). Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. AAHE Bulletin, 1987, 3–7.
15.
CrispG.NoraA.TaggartA. (2009). Student characteristics, pre-college, college, and environmental factors as predictors of majoring in and earning a STEM degree: An analysis of students attending a Hispanic Serving Institution. American Educational Research Journal, 46(4), 924–942.
16.
DensonN.ChangM. J. (2009). Racial diversity matters: The impact of diversity-related student engagement and institutional context. American Educational Research Journal, 46(2), 322–353.
17.
DensonN.ChangM. J. (2015). Dynamic relationships: Identifying moderators that maximize benefits associated with diversity. Journal of Higher Education, 86(1), 1–37.
18.
DikaS. L.D’AmicoM. M. (2016). Early experiences and integration in the persistence of first-generation college students in STEM and non-STEM majors. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 53(3), 368–383.
19.
DikaS. L.MartinJ. P. (2018). Bridge to persistence: Interactions with educators as social capital for Latina/o engineering majors. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 17(3), 202–215.
20.
FloraD. B.CurranP. J. (2004). An empirical evaluation of alternative methods of estimation for confirmatory factor analysis with ordinal data. Psychological Methods, 9(4), 466–491.
21.
FosnachtK.NailosJ. N. (2016). Impact of the environment: How does attending a Hispanic-Serving Institution influence the engagement of baccalaureate-seeking Latina/o students?Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 15(3), 187–204.
22.
FreemanS.EddyS. L.McDonoughM.SmithM. K.OkoroaforN.JordtH.WenderothM. P. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 111(23), 8410–8415.
GurinP.DeyE.HurtadoS.GurinG. (2002). Diversity and higher education: Theory and impact on educational outcomes. Harvard Educational Review, 72(3), 330–367.
25.
HartJ.FellabaumJ. (2008). Analyzing campus climate studies: Seeking to define and understand. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 1(4), 222–234.
26.
HuL.BentlerP. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6(1), 1–55.
27.
HurtadoS.CarterD.KardiaD. (1998). The climate for diversity: Key issues for institutional self-study. New Directions for Institutional Research, 1998(98), 53–63.
28.
HurtadoS.MilemJ. F.Clayton-PedersonA.AllenW. A. (1998). Enhancing campus climates for racial/ethnic diversity: Educational policy and practice. Review of Higher Education, 21(3), 279–302.
29.
HutchinsonS. R.RaymondK. J.BlackK. R. (2008). Factorial invariance of a campus climate measure across race, gender, and student classification. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 1(4), 235–250.
30.
IngM.VictorinoC. (2016). Classroom engagement among Asian American engineering students. Journal of Engineering Education, 105(3), 431–451.
31.
JöreskogK. G. (1971). Simultaneous factor analysis in several populations. Psychometrika, 36(4), 409–426.
32.
KlineR. B. (2016). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (4th ed.). Guilford Press.
33.
KuhG. D. (2009). The national survey of student engagement: Conceptual and empirical foundations. New Directions for Institutional Research, 2009(141), 5–20.
34.
KuhG. D.CruceT. M.ShoupR.KinzieJ.GonyeaR. M. (2008). Unmasking the effects of student engagement on first-year college grades and persistence. Journal of Higher Education, 79(5), 540–563.
35.
KuhG. D.KinzieJ.SchuhJ. H.WhittE. J. (2011). Student success in college: Creating conditions that matter. Jossey-Bass.
36.
LairdT. F.SmallwoodR.Niskodé-DossettA.GarverA. K. (2009). Effectively involving faculty in the assessment of student engagement. New Directions for Institutional Research, 141, 71–81.
37.
LocksA. M.HurtadoS.BowmanN. A.OsegueraL. (2008). Extending notions of campus climate and diversity to students’ transition to college. Review of Higher Education, 31(3), 257–285.
38.
MaestasR.VaqueraG. S.Muñoz ZehrL. (2007). Factors impacting sense of belonging at a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 6(3), 237–256.
39.
MenekseM.StumpG. S.KrauseS.ChiM. T. H. (2013). Differentiated overt learning activities for effective instruction in engineering classrooms. Journal of Engineering Education, 102(3), 346–374.
40.
MittonC.RossD. (2018). Sustaining a commitment to teaching in a research-intensive university: What we learn from award-winning faculty. Studies in Higher Education, 43(8), 1348–1361.
41.
MuthénB. O.AsparouhovT. (2013). New methods for the study of measurement invariance with many groups. Muthén & Muthén.
42.
MuthénB. O.MuthénL. K. (1999–2013). Mplus user’s guide.
43.
National Science Foundation. (2019). Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in science and engineering: 2019 (Special Report NSF 19-304).
44.
ParkJ. J.DensonN.BowmanN. A. (2013). Does socioeconomic diversity make a difference? Examining the effects of racial and socioeconomic diversity on the campus climate for diversity. American Educational Research Journal, 50(3), 466–496.
45.
PascarellaE. T.TerenziniP. T. (2005). How college affects students: A third decade of research (Vol. 2). Jossey-Bass.
46.
PetersonM. W.SpencerM. G. (1990). Understanding academic culture and climate. New Directions for Institutional Research, 68, 3–18.
47.
RankinS. R.ReasonR. D. (2005). Differing perceptions: How students of color and white students perceive campus climate for underrepresented groups. Journal of College Student Development, 46(1), 43–61.
48.
RincónB. E. (2018). Does Latinx representation matter for Latinx student retention in STEM?Journal of Hispanic Higher Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192718820532
49.
RodriguezS.CunninghamK.JordanA. (2019). STEM identity development for Latinas: The role of self- and outside recognition. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 18(3), 254–272.
50.
SánchezM. E. (2019). Perceptions of campus climate and experiences of racial microaggressions for Latinos at Hispanic-Serving Institutions. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 18(3), 240–253.
51.
SandlerB. (1986). The campus climate revisited: Chilly for women faculty, administrators, and graduate students. Association of American Colleges.
52.
SeymourE.HewittN. M. (1997). Talking about leaving: Why undergraduates leave the sciences. Westview Press.
53.
SmithD. G.TurnerC. S.Osei-KofiN.RichardsS. (2004). Interrupting the usual: Successful strategies for hiring diverse faculty. Journal of Higher Education, 75(2), 133–160.
54.
SobelM. E.BohrnstedtG. W. (1985). Use of null models in evaluating the fit of covariance structure models. In TumaN. B. (Ed.), Sociological methodology (pp. 152–178). Jossey-Bass.
55.
SteigerJ. H. (1990). Structural model evaluation and modification: An interval estimation approach. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 25(2), 173–180.
56.
StrentaA. C.ElliottR.AdairR.MatierM.ScottJ. (1994). Choosing and leaving science in highly selective institutions. Research in Higher Education, 35(5), 513–547.
57.
TateE. D.LinnM. C. (2005). How does identity shape the experiences of women of color engineering students?Journal of Science Education and Technology, 14(5–6), 483–493.
58.
TuckerL. R.LewisC. (1973). A reliability coefficient for maximum likelihood factor analysis. Psychometrika, 38(1), 1–10.
59.
TurnerC. S. V.GonzálezJ. C.WoodJ. L. (2008). Faculty of color in academe: What 20 years of literature tells us. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 1(3), 139–168.
60.
WeisL.EisenhartM.DuncanG. J.AlbroE.BueschelA.CobbP.EcclesJ.MendenhallR.MossP.PenuelW.ReamR. K.RumbautR. G.SloanF.WeisnerT. S.WilsonJ. (2019). Mixed methods for studies that address broad and enduring issues in education research. Teachers College Record, 121(10), 1–40.
61.
WorthingtonR. L. (2008). Measurement and assessment in campus climate research: A scientific imperative. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 1(4), 201–203.