1. Developing a Pluralistic Orientation: A Comparison of Ethnic Minority and White College Students Mark E. Engberg Ellen W. Meader Sylvia Hurtado University of Michigan Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, Il, April 21-25, 2003

2. Purpose To understand how colleges and universities are preparing students to live and work in an increasingly complex and diverse democracy Defining and measuring “pluralistic orientation” Using structural equation modeling to understand what factors mediate the development of a pluralistic orientation

3. Research Hypotheses Hypothesis 1 –Interaction with diverse peers increases: An overall pluralistic orientation Cognitive complexity Cultural awareness Understanding that conflict enhances democracy Commitment to social action

4. Research Hypotheses Hypothesis 2 –The development of a pluralistic orientation will be influenced by students’: Cognitive complexity Level of cultural awareness Beliefs that conflict enhances democracy Commitment to taking social action

5. Methods Pre-college survey of entering freshman at 10 public institutions N=2,810 (1,892 White; 918 Ethnic Minority) Five latent factors: Pluralistic Orientation, Cultural Awareness, Taking Social Action, Attributional Complexity, Conflict Enhances Democracy Background variables: gender, race, racial makeup Structural Equation Modeling using EQS

6. Full Structural Model Pluralistic Orientation Female White Environment Interaction Diverse Peers Attribution Complexity Cultural Awareness Conflict & Democracy Taking Social Action Minority -.11.07.11 -.57 -.08.09.10.09.14.10 -.05.19.27.11.55.17.11.19.18 -.35

7. Comparative Structural Model Conflict & Democracy Female White Environment Interaction Diverse Peers Attribution Complexity Cultural Awareness Taking Social Action Pluralistic Orientation.11, (.11).19, (.18) -.07, (-.07).07, (-.59).08, (.08).10, (.10).24, (.28).11, (.11).59, (.53).20, (.18).05, (.17).07, (.07).17, (.19).15, (.18)

8. Discussion Importance of interacting with diverse peers Predictive strength of cultural awareness Impact of pre-college environment on students’ interactions with diverse peers Differential impact of peer interactions and taking social action

9. Implications Recruitment and developing alternative plans to achieve a “critical mass” Innovative programs that provide opportunities for structured interactions Continued support for programs that emphasize cultural awareness

10. For More Information To download a copy of our paper or this presentation, please visit the Diverse Democracy Project website: http://www.umich.edu/~divdemo Contact the project directly at: divdemo@umich.edu