Graduation Date
Spring 2023
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Arts degree with a major in Psychology, option Academic Research
Committee Chair Name
Amber Gaffney
Committee Chair Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Maria Iturbide
Second Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Third Committee Member Name
Brandilynn Villarreal
Third Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Subject Categories
Psychology
Abstract
Diversity has become a focal point in conversations in higher education in the United States (Nunes, 2021). University systems have employed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives to recruit more diverse campus populations (e.g., University of California Board of Regents, 2007). However, this increased number of diverse students prompts the need to better define what diversity looks like on campus and factors that contribute to existing intergroup relations among Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC). Intergroup contact theory posits that prejudice can be reduced by having groups engage in contact under specific conditions. However, BIPOC have historically been segregated and forced into ethnic enclaves such as “Chinatowns” or “Little Saigons”, which created minimal contact across ethnic minorities. This study examines how student cultural groups, which provide cultural affirmation and representation, influence intergroup relations across BIPOC students. The current work (N = 183) examines how ethnic identity, ethnocentrism, and cultural group identification are related to friendship diversity in college and if these friendships are related to intergroup anxiety and bias among students of color. We predicted that high ethnic identity, ethnocentrism, and cultural group identification should be negatively correlated with friendship diversity and positively correlated with intergroup anxiety and bias. We also predict that friendship diversity and intergroup anxiety should mediate the relationship between ethnic identity, ethnocentrism, and cultural group identification on intergroup bias. Serial mediation results indicated mixed support for our hypotheses, suggesting that ethnic identity is more negatively correlated with friendship diversity and positively correlated with intergroup anxiety and intergroup bias compared to ethnocentrism and cultural identification. Friendship diversity and intergroup anxiety did not appear to mediate the relationship between ethnic identity, ethnocentrism, and cultural group identification on intergroup bias. The collective findings demonstrate the need to further examine how cultural identity and intergroup contact play a role in intergroup anxiety and bias among BIPOC.
Citation Style
APA
Recommended Citation
Pang, Joseph, "Diversity among university students in the U.S.: an analysis of student ethnic group preferences and its impact on campus diversity perceptions" (2023). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 621.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/621