ERIC Number: EJ1101832
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Jun
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1938-8926
EISSN: N/A
Understanding Difference through Dialogue: A First-Year Experience for College Students
Thakral, Charu; Vasquez, Philip L.; Bottoms, Bette L.; Matthews, Alicia K.; Hudson, Kimberly M.; Whitley, Steven K.
Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, v9 n2 p130-142 Jun 2016
Research (Gurin, Nagda, & Zúñiga, 2009) on intergroup dialogue (IGD) has primarily focused on student outcomes in traditional semester-long, 3-credit courses, documenting the positive impact IGD has on college students' (a) intergroup understanding, (b) intergroup relationships, (c) intergroup collaboration and action, and (d) perceived relevancy of diversity in higher education. The University of Illinois at Chicago's First-Year Dialogue Seminar (FYDS) was designed as a 1-credit, half-semester course based on traditional IGD courses and associated outcomes. Approximately 100 freshman students participated in the pilot of the seminar, completing both pre- and posttest measures of intergroup understanding, intergroup relationships, intergroup collaboration and action, and relevancy of diversity in higher education. In addition, a comparison group of approximately 80 freshman students, not enrolled in the course, were administered the posttest survey at Time 2. The results showed significant gains across measures of intergroup understanding, intergroup collaboration and action, and relevancy of diversity in higher education. Furthermore, FYDS students had significantly higher means across several of the same measures of intergroup understanding and intergroup collaboration and action than the comparison group. These results suggest the potential efficacy of a new model of IGD-based pedagogy and learning.
Descriptors: Higher Education, College Freshmen, College Students, Outcomes of Education, Pilot Projects, Pretests Posttests, Diversity (Institutional), Student Surveys, Comparative Analysis, Student Diversity, Intergroup Relations, Dialogs (Language), Freshman Composition, College English, Cooperation, Group Dynamics, Nonparametric Statistics, Statistical Analysis, Cooperative Learning, Seminars
American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Illinois (Chicago)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A