By: Kendra L. Preer, Ph.D., Stark State College, Ohio | James Samuel Maddirala, Ph.D., Jackson State University, Mississippi
The purpose of this study was to investigate African-American student experiences and perceptions of intraracial campus diversity and learn more about their overall beliefs regarding the institutional practices and policies associated with diversity at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Specifically, the study sought to gain a greater understanding of the role and influence of intraracial differences and gain insight into how Black students experience diversity on majority campuses. The study represented a break with the small body of research examining African-American student heterogeneity, which largely consists of dialogues about racial and ethnic diversity viewed primarily from a Black versus White dichotomy.
The study utilized a qualitative research design by first obtaining a student background questionnaire followed by semi-structured, in-depth interviews and focus groups with 16 undergraduate students at two HBCU campuses. Survey results, interview data, field notes and institutional data regarding campus diversity policies, procedures and practices were analyzed using triangulation for emerging and consistent themes.
