Abstract
Most studies of curricular diversity have focused on the effects of participation in diversity courses on student outcomes. Though the results have been positive, these studies have used limited measures of curricular diversity and there is a great need for a complimentary body of research demonstrating what faculty and what types of courses are more likely to include diversity. This study relies on 12 diversity inclusivity items derived from a comprehensive model of how diversity is included into a course to investigate how much diversity is being included in collegiate courses and what predicts diversity inclusivity, as measured by two scales: diverse grounding and inclusive learning. The results, based on 7,101 responses from faculty participating in the 2007 Faculty Survey of Student Engagement, suggest that most faculty are including diversity in their courses in some way, but that women and faculty of color tend to include diversity to a greater extent than their colleagues. Also, courses taught in the soft fields are more likely to be inclusive of diversity.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
A notable exception is the work of Humphreys (2000) examining how many institutions have adopted diversity requirements. However, by focusing on diversity requirements, she too took a narrow view of how diversity could be included into the curriculum.
References
Astin, A. W. (1993). What matters in college? Four critical years revisited. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Astin, A. W., & Denson, N. (2009). Multi-campus studies of college impact: Which statistical method is appropriate? Research Higher Education, 50, 354–367.
Banks, J. A. (2005). Cultural diversity and education: Foundations, curriculum, and teaching (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Barr, R. B., & Tagg, J. (1995). From teaching to learning: A new paradigm for undergraduate education. Change, 27(6), 12–25.
Baxter Magolda, M. B. (1999). Creating contexts for learning and self-authorship. Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University Press.
Biglan, A. (1973a). The characteristics of subject matter in different scientific areas. Journal of Applied Psychology, 57, 195–203.
Biglan, A. (1973b). Relationships between subject matter characteristics and the structure and output of university departments. Journal of Applied Psychology, 57, 1204–1213.
Bowman, N. A. (2009a). College diversity courses and cognitive development among students from privileged and marginalized groups. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 2(3), 182–194.
Bowman, N. A. (2009b). College diversity experiences and cognitive development: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 80(1), 4–33.
Braxton, J. M., & Hargens, L. L. (1996) Variation among academic disciplines: Analytical frameworks and research. In J. C. Smart (Ed.), Higher Education Handbook of Theory and Research (Vol. XI, pp. 1–46) New York: Agathon Press.
Braxton, J. M., Olsen, D., & Simmons, A. (1998). Affinity disciplines and the use of good practice for undergraduate education. Research in Higher Education, 39, 299–318.
Chang, M. J. (2002). The impact of an undergraduate diversity course requirement on students’ racial views and attitudes. The Journal of General Education, 51(1), 21–42.
Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S. G., & Aiken, L. S. (2003). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences (3rd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Denson, N., & Chang, M. J. (2009). Racial diversity matters: The impact of diversity-related student engagement and institutional context. American Educational Research Journal, 46(2), 322–353.
Faculty Survey of Student Engagement. (2007). FSSE overview 2007. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research.
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Seabury.
Freire, P. (1998). Pedagogy of freedom. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Gaff, J. G., & Wilson, R. C. (1971). Faculty cultures and interdisciplinary studies. Journal of Higher Education, 42(3), 186–201.
Giroux, H. A. (1997). Pedagogy and the politics of hope: Theory, culture, and schooling. Boulder, CO: Westview.
Gurin, P., Dey, E. L., Hurtado, S., & Gurin, G. (2002). Diversity and higher education: Theory and impact on educational outcomes. Harvard Educational Review, 72(3), 330–365.
Gurin, P., Nagda, B. A., & Lopez, G. E. (2004). The benefits of diversity education for democratic citizenship. Journal of Social Issues, 60(1), 17–34.
Holland, J. L. (1997). Making vocational choices: A theory of vocational personalities and work environments (3rd ed.). Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
Humphreys, D. (2000). National survey finds diversity requirements common around the country. Diversity Digest, 5(1), 1–2.
Hurtado, S. (2001a). Linking diversity and educational purpose: How diversity affects the classroom environment and student development. In G. Orfield (Ed.), Diversity challenged: Evidence on the impact of affirmative action (pp. 187–203). Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Publishing Group.
Hurtado, S. (2001b). Research and evaluation on intergroup dialogue. In D. Schoem & S. Hurtado (Eds.), Intergroup dialogue: Deliberative democracy in school, college, community, and workplace (pp. 22–36). Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.
Hurtado, S., Milem, J., Clayton-Pedersen, A., & Allen, W. (1999). Enacting diverse learning environments: Improving the climate for racial/ethnic diversity in higher education. ASHE-ERIC higher education report (Vol. 26, No. 8) Washington, DC: The George Washington University, Graduate School of Education and Human Development.
King, P. M., & Shuford, B. C. (1996). A multicultural view is a more cognitively complex view. American Behavioral Scientist, 40(2), 153–164.
Kitano, M. K. (1997). What a course will look like after multicultural change. In A. I. Morey & M. K. Kitano (Eds.), Multicultural course transformation in higher education: A broader truth. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Kokkelenberg, E. C., Dillon, M., & Christy, S. M. (2008). The effects of class size on student grades at a public university. Economics of Education Review, 27, 221–233.
Kuh, G. D., Nelson Laird, T. F., & Umbach, P. D. (2004). Aligning faculty activities and student behavior: Realizing the promise of greater expectations. Liberal Education, 90(4), 24–31.
Lattuca, L., & Stark, J. (1994). Will disciplinary perspectives impede curricular reform? Journal of Higher Education, 65, 401–426.
Lattuca, L. R., & Stark, J. S. (2009). Shaping the college curriculum: Academic plans in context (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Maher, F. A., & Tetrault, M. K. T. (1994). The feminist classroom. New York: Basic Books.
Maruyama, G., & Moreno, J. (2000). University faculty views about the value of diversity on campus and in the classroom. In American Council on Education, American Association of University Professors (Ed.), Does diversity matter? Three research studies on diversity in college classrooms (pp. 9–36). Washington, DC: American Council on Education and American Association of University Professors.
Mayhew, M. J., & Grunwald, H. E. (2006). Factors contributing to faculty incorporation of diversity-related course content. Journal of Higher Education, 77(1), 148–168.
McIntosh, P. (1983). Interactive phases of curricular re-vision: A feminist perspective. Working paper #124. Wellesley, MA: Wellesley College Center for Research on Women.
McKeachie, W. J. (1980). Class size, large classes, and multiple sections. Academe, 66(Feb.), 24–27.
Milem, J. F. (2001). Increasing diversity benefits: How campus climate and teaching methods affect student outcomes. In G. Orfield (Ed.), Diversity challenged: Evidences on the impact of affirmative action (pp. 233–249). Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Publishing Group.
Nelson Laird, T. F. (2005). College students’ experiences with diversity and their effects on academic self-confidence, social agency, and disposition toward critical thinking. Research in Higher Education, 46, 365–388.
Nelson Laird, T. F. (2010). Conceptualizing diversity inclusivity for college courses. Unpublished manuscript.
Nelson Laird, T. F., Engberg, M. E., & Hurtado, S. (2005). Modeling accentuation effects: Enrolling in a diversity course and the importance of social action engagement. Journal of Higher Education, 76, 448–476.
Nelson Laird, T. F., Shoup, R., Kuh, G. D., & Schwarz, M. J. (2008). The effects of discipline on deep approaches to student learning and college outcomes. Research in Higher Education, 49, 469–494.
Reason, R. D., Cox, B. E., Lutovsky Quaye, B. R., & Terenzini, P. T. (2010). Faculty and institutional factors that promote student encounters with difference in first-year courses. Review of Higher Education, 33(3), 391–414.
Schoem, D., Frankel, L., Zúñiga, X., & Lewis, E. (1993). The meaning of multicultural teaching: An introduction. In D. Schoem, L. Frankel, X. Zúñiga, & E. Lewis (Eds.), Multicultural teaching in the university. Westport, CT: Praeger.
Sleeter, C. E., & Grant, C. A. (2008). Making choices for multicultural education: Five approaches to race, class, and gender (6th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Smart, J. C., Feldman, K. A., & Ethington, C. A. (2000). Academic disciplines: Holland’s theory and the study of college students and faculty. Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University Press.
Smart, J. C., & Umbach, P. D. (2007). Faculty and academic environments: Using Holland’s theory to explore differences in how faculty structure undergraduate courses. Journal of College Student Development, 48, 183–195.
Smith, D. G., & Associates. (1997). Diversity works: The emerging picture of how students benefit. Washington, DC: Association of American College and Universities.
Stanley, C. A., & Porter, M. E. (2002). Engaging large classes: Strategies and techniques for college faculty. Boston: Anker Publishing.
Umbach, P. D. (2006). The unique contribution of faculty of color to undergraduate education. Research in Higher Education, 47, 317–345.
Warren, K. J. (1998). Rewriting the future: The feminist challenge to the malestream curriculum. In G. E. Cohee, E. Daumer, T. D. Kemp, P. M. Krebs, S. Lafky, & S. Runzo (Eds.), The feminist teacher anthology: Pedagogies and classroom strategies. New York: Teachers College Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Appendix
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nelson Laird, T.F. Measuring the Diversity Inclusivity of College Courses. Res High Educ 52, 572–588 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-010-9210-3
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-010-9210-3