Mixed Race Studies

Multiracial College Students: Understanding Interpersonal Self-Concept in the First Year

The University of Michigan
2010
151 pages

Mark Allen Kamimura

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Education) in The University of Michigan 2010

This purpose of this study was to explore the differences between mixed and single race students in the factors that contribute to an interpersonal self-concept. The data in this study are drawn from a national longitudinal survey, Your First College Year (YFCY), from 2004-2005 and include mixed race Black and Asian students and their single race Black and Asian peers to explore interpersonal self-concept.

The results suggest that mixed and single race Asian and Black students have different pre-college and first year experiences, but only mixed race Black students were found to develop a significantly higher interpersonal self-concept after their first-year than their single race peers. Most importantly for mixed and single race students are their interactions with diverse peers. For all groups, both negative and positive interactions based on race within the college environment directly impact interpersonal self-concept. First-year college experiences (Positive Ethnic/Racial Relations, Racial Interactions of a Negative Quality, Leadership Orientation, Sense of Belonging, Campus Racial Climate, Self-Assessed Cognitive Development) were the most significant contributors to the development of an interpersonal self-concept in comparison to pre-college experiences.

The findings in this study expand the literature on multiracial college students and provide empirical evidence to support institutional practices that aim to promote a positive interpersonal self-concept in the first college year.

Table of Contents

• DEDICATION
• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• LIST OF FIGURES
• LIST OF TABLES
• LIST OF APPENDICES
• ABSTRACT
• CHAPTER 1
  • INTRODUCTION
    • Statement of the Problem
    • Purpose and Scope of the Study
    • Significance of the Study
    • Contributions of the Study
• CHAPTER 2
  • LITERATURE REVIEW
    • The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Census 2000
    • Social Construction of Race and Racial Categories
    • Multiracial Terminology
    • College Student Identity
  • Overview of Relevant Studies on Mixed and Single Race Students
    • Multiracial Students in Higher Education
    • Relevant Studies of Multiracial Individuals
    • Relevant Individual Race Studies
  • Theories on Multiracial Identity
    • Linear Racial Identity Development Approach
    • Resolution Approach
    • Ecological Approach
  • Comparisons Between Single-Race and Multiracial Research
    • Theoretical Comparison
  • Indicators of Multiracial Interpersonal Self-Concept
    • Positional
    • Resources
    • Information
    • Relationships
    • Environment
    • Involvement
    • Politics
    • Identity
    • Personal
    • Conceptual Mode
• CHAPTER 3
  • METHODOLOGY
    • Date Sources and Data Collection
    • Sample
    • The 48 Cases
    • Dependent Variable
    • Independent Variables
    • Conceptual Regression Model
    • Data Preparation
    • Limitations
• CHAPTER 4
  • RESULTS
    • Independent t-Tests
      • Single Race Black Students and Mixed Race Black Students (Independent Variables)
      • Single Race Asian Students and Mixed Race Asian Students (Independent Variables)
      • Interpersonal Self-concept (Dependent Variable)
      • Summary
    • Multivariate Analysis
      • Interpersonal Self-Concept for First Year Mixed and Single Race Black Students
      • Summary
      • Interpersonal Self-Concept for First Year Mixed and Single Race Asian Students
      • Summary
      • Comparison of Interpersonal Self-Concept Between Groups
      • Summary of Results
• CHAPTER 5
  • DISCUSSION
    • Summary of Findings
    • Implications to Practice in Higher Education
      • Student Affairs
      • Academic Incorporation
      • Higher Education and Institutional Policy
    • Implications for Research
      • Theory
      • Design and Methodology
      • Future Research
    • Conclusion
• APPENDICES
• REFERENCES

List of Figures

• Figure 2.1 Conceptual Model for Interpersonal Self-Concept
• Figure 3.1 Conceptual Regression Model

LIST OF TABLES

• Table 2.1 Factors Contributing to a Multiracial Interpersonal Self-Concept
• Table 3.1 Sample Size
• Table 3.2 Interpersonal Self-concept Factor Analysis
• Table 3.3 Summary of Variables and Indices
• Table 3.4 Factor Analysis Descriptive Statistics
• Table 3.5 Positive Race/Ethnic Relations
• Table 3.6 Racial/Ethnic Interactions of a Negative Quality
• Table 3.7 Campus Racial Climate
• Table 3.8 Race/Ethnic Composition of the Environment
• Table 3.9 Leadership and Community Orientation
• Table 3.10 Informed Citizenship
• Table 3.11 Satisfaction with College
• Table 3.12 Sense of Belonging
• Table 3.13 Self-Assessed Cognitive Development
• Table 4.1 Frequencies, Means, Standard deviations, and Test of Significance on Independent Variables for Entire Sample by Race (Total Black n=2647 and Total Black+n=485)
• Table 4.2 Means, Standard deviations, and Test of Significance on Independent Variables for Entire Sample by Race (Asian Total n=1927 and Total Asian+n=464)
• Table 4.3 Means, Standard deviations, and Individual and Paired Tests of Significance on Dependent Variables for Entire Sample by Race (Black Total n=2647 and Total Black+n=485) and (Asian Total n=1927 and Total Asian+ n=464)
• Table 4.4 Standardized beta coefficients for blocked entry regression on Dependent Variable Interpersonal Self-Concept (α=.599) for Entire Sample: Black and Black+ (n = 2,434)
• Table 4.5 Standardized beta coefficients for blocked entry regression on Dependent Variable Interpersonal Self-Concept (α=.647) for Entire Sample: Asian and Asian+ (n = 2,158)
• Table 4.6 Unstandardized beta coefficients for blocked entry regression on DependentVariable Interpersonal Self-Concept. Comparison of Black and Black+ (α=.599, n = 2,434) and Asian and Asian+ (α=.647, n = 2,158)

LIST OF APPENDICES

• APPENDIX A: Office of Management and Budget Information
• APPENDIX B: Renn’s Ecology of College Student Development Model

Read the entire dissertation here.