Subject Area
Education
Abstract
Many universities include diversity requirements in their curricula, yet whether students benefit equally from participation in these courses is unclear. The present study investigated the relationship between a diversity course and students’ perceptions of social justice at a predominantly White institution. Perceptions were assessed using the Social Justice Scale (SJS), which included four subscales related to attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intention to engage in social justice. Results of a paired samples t-test demonstrated that White students’ total SJS and perceived control significantly increased from pre- to post-course. Likewise, Hispanic students’ total SJS and subjective norms significantly increased from pre- to post-course. Asian students also reported significant increases in their pre- to post-course subjective norms, while Black students’ scores did not significantly change for total SJS or any subscales.
When controlling for pre-course score, race/ethnicity, academic level, precollege diversity, income background, international status, and class section, higher pre-course scores were significantly associated with higher post-course scores on all SJS measurements. Identifying as Hispanic was the only race-based predictor, with Hispanic students scoring significantly higher on post-course subjective norms and intention relative to White students. Post-course perceptions were also significantly mediated by non-racial characteristics, as low-income students scored higher on post-course attitude relative to students from more affluent backgrounds, and international students scored lower on post-course perceived control relative to domestic students. Finally, post-course perceptions were significantly differentiated by course section. These findings suggest that student-level characteristics may mediate students’ perceptions of social justice following participation in diversity coursework.
Degree Date
Spring 5-19-2018
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ed.D.
Department
Education Policy and Leadership
Advisor
Dominique Baker
Second Advisor
Kiersten Ferguson
Third Advisor
Ashley Tull
Number of Pages
112
Format
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
Rola, Kelyn, "Student Perceptions of Social Justice: Assessing Outcomes Related to an Undergraduate Diversity Course at a Predominantly White Institution" (2018). Education Policy and Leadership Theses and Dissertations. 29.
https://scholar.smu.edu/simmons_depl_etds/29
Included in
Educational Leadership Commons, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons, Social Justice Commons
