CAMPUS RACISM AND WHITE STEREOTYPE THREAT: IMPLICATIONS FOR CAMPUS RACIAL CLIMATES AND INTERRACIAL INTERACTIONS AMONG STUDENTS
Open Access
- Author:
- Nichols, Andrew Howard
- Graduate Program:
- Higher Education
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- December 08, 2008
- Committee Members:
- Robert D Reason, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Robert Reason, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Beverly Lindsay, Committee Member
Susan Ruth Rankin, Committee Member
Shaun Harper, Committee Member
Phillip Atiba Goff, Committee Member - Keywords:
- White students
stereotype threat
diversity
inter-ethnic anxiety
campus climate
racism - Abstract:
- In this study, a six cell between-subjects experimental design (n = 124) with random assignment was utilized to examine the relationship among campus racism, White stereotype threat, and White students’ perceptions of the campus racial climate and attitudes toward diversity. There were several hypotheses. First, it was expected that campus racism (a theme party mocking stereotypes of Blacks) would cause White students to experience stereotype threat – an identity threat encountered when Whites are placed in situations where they are at risk of being perceived as racist (Goff, Steele, & Davies, 2008). Second, it was believed that the manner in which students and administrators responded to campus racism would influence participants’ experience of stereotype threat. Finally, it was expected that stereotype threat would moderate participants’ perceptions of the campus racial climate and attitudes toward diversity. Data analysis revealed that campus racism can cause White students to experience stereotype threat. The student and administrative responses to campus racism, however, did not influence stereotype threat in participants. Stereotype threat did not mediate students’ perceptions of the campus racial climate and attitudes toward diversity. However, stereotype threat was a positive predictor of participants’ Inter-Ethnic Anxiety Toward African Americans (IATAA), openness to diversity and challenge (ODC), pluralistic orientation, and perceptions of racial/ethnic minority self-segregation. Additional findings also revealed that IATAA was a negative predictor of White students’ ODC and pluralistic orientation. These findings and their implications for improving campus race relations and maximizing the benefits of structural diversity are discussed in the final chapter.