Date of Award
4-28-2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Kristjen Lundberg
Abstract
Belonging, including feelings of being valued in a larger institutional space, is important to student overall well-being. For students of color attending Primarily White Institutions (PWIs) (and other historically marginalized group members), institutional belonging maybe partially dependent on how they perceive diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. This study aims to assess individual differences in how DEI initiatives are experienced by students at PWIs in order to better understand how experiences of DEI initiatives on campuses may differentially impact students of color compared to White students. Belonging for students of color was found to be contingent on their perceptions of DEI initiatives as genuine and successful (or not), while White students’ belonging was found to be less dependent on these perceptions. Protective factors, like peer relationships, were more strongly impactful for predicting belonging for students of color compared to White students. There were racial differences in levels of participation on campus, but it was not associated with belonging.
Recommended Citation
Lauber, Mckennah, "Why Diversity is Not Enough: Perceptions of University Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives Predict Institutional Belonging" (2023). Honors Theses. 1695.
https://scholarship.richmond.edu/honors-theses/1695
Included in
Cognition and Perception Commons, Cognitive Psychology Commons, Human Factors Psychology Commons, Multicultural Psychology Commons, Personality and Social Contexts Commons, Social Justice Commons