CONSIDERING DIVERSITY EXPERIENCE AS A PREDICTOR OF SUCCESS FOR GRADUATE ADMISSIONS

Amber M. MollhagenUniversity of Houston

2014 TxGAP

Summer InstituteJune 13, 2014

Today’s Session• Introductions• Candidacy Research Project on Diversity Experience as a

Predictor for Success in Graduate School• Benefits of Diversity in Higher Education• Thoughts for Practice• Discussion

“Recognize yourself in he and she who are not like you

and me.”

- Carlos Fuentes

Diversity Experience Literature

Patricia Gurin’s work:

Three forms of diversity experience• Structural diversity is the numerical representation of diverse groups on a college

campus. • Informal interactional diversity involves the opportunity to interact with diverse peers

with a focus on the frequency and the quality of interactions.• Classroom diversity is the incorporation of content knowledge about diverse groups

and the opportunities to interact with diverse peers in the classroom.

Two sets of outcomes• Learning outcomes – capacity for critical or active thinking• Civic and democratic outcomes – the motivation and capacity of individuals to

participate in an heterogenous and complex society

Other researchers of undergraduate diversity experiences include Sylvia Hurtado, Gerald Gurin, Mitchell Chang, Victor Saenz, Shaun Harper.

Pluralistic Orientation

The ability to see the world from another’s perspective, have tolerance for difference, openness to having one’s views challenged, the ability to work cooperatively with diverse others, and ability to discuss controversial issues.

Engberg, Meader, Hurtado, 2003

Candidacy Project

• RQ 1: Does structural diversity of a

MSW student’s undergraduate institution

predict student success (as defined by grades and field

evaluation scores) in the graduate social work

program?

• RQ 2: What types of undergraduate informal

interactional diversity experiences emerge from

students’ MSW graduate applications and are there

differences in the patterns of diversity experiences

between successful students and not successful

students?

Data Source RQ 1• Secondary data from Fall 2012

• 161 entering MSW students • 31 Advanced Standing students• 15 students missing undergraduate campus ethnic diversity scores• 10 students missing field scores• Final Sample N=105

• Considered data at conclusion of three semesters• Fall, Spring, Summer

Variable B SE B β

Age .000 .004 .007

Undergrad Campus Ethnic Diversity Score.490 .128 .350***

Undergrad GPA .064 .067 .083

Gender .040 .086 .040

Ethnicity -.015 .023 -.058

GRE Writing .082 .036 .242**

GRE Verbal .001 .004 .032

GRE Quantitative .007 .005 .178

ResultsRegression Analysis Summary for Admission Variables Predicting MSW GPA

*<.05, **<.01, ***<.001

Results

Critical Thinking Field Score

A test of the full model against a constant only model was statistically significant, indicating that the predictors as a set reliably distinguished between advanced and non-advanced critical thinking scores (χ2(11)= 21.852, p < .05). Nagelkerke’s R2 of .256 indicated a relationship between prediction and grouping. Prediction success overall was 63% (70.7 for non-advanced and 55.6 for advanced).

 

Data Source RQ 2• Secondary data from Fall 2012• Purposeful sampling of MSW students• N=20 (10 successful, 10 unsuccessful)• Worked with Student Affairs Office• Resumes, transcripts, and personal

narrative statements• Focused on applicants’ diversity themed

content

Results

Informal Interactional Diversity Experiences

All ten students within Group 1 identified various informal interactional

diversity experiences taking place during their undergraduate education.

Seven students out of Group 2 identified diversity experiences, however

types of experiences were limited.

  Student Orgs

Service Learning

Study / Travel

Abroad

Intern-ships

VolService

ReadInterest

Staff / Fac

 

Dialog w/ Students

Group 1 X X X X X X   X

Group 2       X X X    

Results

Themes include:• Positive transformation

Clarification of skills, interests and professional goals

Commitment to Social Justice• Personal identification as a minority• Diversity/inclusion as part of future goals• Pluralistic orientation• Acknowledgement of importance of diversity for learning

Group 1• “These experiences have confirmed my interest in working with

children in the U.S. but also abroad and have been my greatest motivators for wanting to enter into the social work field.”

• “I have had to face the challenges of being undocumented in a time when laws that limit immigrants' human treatment, their economic, educational, political and social prospects have only increased in number and severity. I have faced the social stigma that accompanies being an 'illegal alien', a 'criminal' and have had to accept my suppressed political voice.”

• “Being a social worker, and in turn a professional advocate for human rights, would allow me to begin my long-aspired journey of creating a better world for women and people of all gender identities to live in.”

Group 2• “I feel that I could be exposed to more life experiences and more

world diversity opportunities.”

• “I went to public school my entire life and was lucky enough to be exposed to all different types of people. We never thought twice about someone being black, or Jewish, or poor. They were just our friends. I feel that my ability to be around a wide range of people and see things from their worldview will be of significant advantage to me in both my academic and professional pursuits.”

• “My place of employment at (county hospital) has inspired me to continue my pursuit to become a social worker. I am deeply committed to the service of others. I work with patients and families from diverse backgrounds, including minority and underprivileged groups.”

Dissertation Interviews

• Empathy development• Critical thinking• Expansion of worldview

Why Diversity Matters • 1. Diversity expands worldliness. • 2. Diversity enhances social development. • 3. Diversity prepares students for future career success. • 4. Diversity prepares students for work in a global society. • 5. Interactions with people different from ourselves

increase our knowledge base. • 6. Diversity promotes creative thinking. • 7. Diversity enhances self-awareness. • 8. Diversity enriches the multiple perspectives developed

by a liberal arts education.

A. Thompson, 2009

The Danger of the Single Story

“The single story creates stereotypes and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.”

- Chimamanda Adichie,

Author

“I got to pondering after an insightful conversation about the importance of complexity in organizations and social structures. Because we live in a culture that is so invested in linear, reductionist and industrial thinking, it can be hard for any of us to wrap our heads around what it takes to live with, and even encourage, complexity.”

Diversity is Key to Sustainable Farming, So Why's It So Damn Hard?

“But in reality it is not just the diversity of species, but also the diversity of useful relationships between those species, that builds resilience. It's not the individual points of diverse elements, but rather the network of complex interrelationships between those elements, that ultimately builds a web that is so hard to break.”

Treehugger.com

“Diversity may be the hardest thing for a society to live with, and perhaps the most dangerous thing for a society to be without.”

- William Sloane Coffin Jr.

So, what do we do?

Admissions• Study supports the consideration of diversity experience as

additional criterion.• Information not to be used to exclude individuals.• Affirmative Action and Alternatives• Self Awareness• Critical Mass

“There were no actual villains, just inertia. The administration genuinely wanted more diversity for reasons of its image as well as fairness, notwithstanding the cranky alumni letters in The Daily Princetonian. ... Hiring committees had not a clue where to look for or how to attract suitable candidates. And so, though a high-level recruitment plan existed on paper, there was only foot-dragging and defensive excuse making.”

- Sonia Sotomayor, My Beloved World

So, what do we do?

Student Affairs• Literature supports creation of diversity

experiences/environment for students• Critical Mass• Dialogue Groups• Diversity Courses• Self Awareness

“Men often hate each other because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don't know each other; they don't know each other because they can not communicate; they can not communicate because they are separated.”

- Martin Luther King Jr.

Discussion• Are your institutions/programs diverse? • Do minority students feel a sense of belonging within your

organizations?• What practices do you employ to diversify? • How do you create environments in which diversity thrives

and its benefits are maximized? • How do you practice self-awareness?

 

QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS

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