Guided by Astin's I-E-O model and critical quantitative inquiry, we examined institutional environments that contributed to belongingness, especially for students from different racial groups, college generation statuses, and the intersection of both. Using multiple linear regression analyses, we analyzed data from 7,888 students and found that…

Guided by the principles of critical race theory, we sought to understand how race and racism help explain differences in White and Black students' assessments of race relations on a predominantly White college campus. The authors employed data from a campus-wide survey conducted in Spring 2013 at the University of Alabama; the sample numbered…

Leaders of higher education value student engagement because of its measured effects on student outcomes such as retention and academic success. To increase engagement, institutions implement measures such as livinglearning programs, which combine the residential experience with an academic focus (Arboleda, Wang, Shelley, & Whalen, 2003; Zhao…

Sexual orientation has been socially prominent in the national media lately, but little is known about how college creates opportunity for thinking about sexual orientation among individual students. Using data from the Diverse Learning Environments survey, administered by the Higher Education Research Institute, we compared samples of…

This study focused on the dispositions of entering first-year students, their perceptions of classroom and institutional environments, and their subsequent academic engagement. Total variance explained by variables included in the path model for academic engagement was 30%. The results of this study found evidence to support the theoretical model…

This study examined the contributions of campus racial climate perceptions and other college environments to overall sense of belonging among racially diverse women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors. The sample included 1,722 women from the 2004 National Study of Living-Learning Programs. Using a conceptual…

In this study we examined the relationships among lesbian identity development, perceptions of campus climate, and vocational development of 192 undergraduate lesbian women. Results indicated the combination of lesbian identity development phases and campus climate accounted for significant variance in two measures of vocational development.…

Using a national sample (n = 643) of Native American students who took the College Student Experiences Questionnaire (CSEQ), the researcher identified how student involvement and institutional commitment to diversity predicted student learning. Native American students reported higher levels of learning when the institution's commitment to…

The College Student Experiences Questionnaire (CSEA) was used to estimate the impact of attending a historically Black college or university on social and academic outcomes in college. Findings extend previous research by suggesting attendance at a historically Black college significantly enhances academic and social growth of students. (Author)

This study investigated the relationship of parental attachment (Parental Attachment Questionnaire) and on-campus social support (People in My Life) to college adjustment (Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire) among 186 Black students' on predominantly White campuses. Parental attachment was found to contribute to the explanation of college…

Grade point average for residence hall freshmen (N=1,167; 52%male, 90% white, 74% in-state) is related significantly to precollege characteristics (high school rank, gender, ethnicity, parental education, divorced/separated parents, self-perception of abilities, expectation of honors or changing major) and environmental variables (learning…