SPEC Kit 356 Diversity and Inclusion

Today, diversity is defined beyond racial and ethnic groups and includes gender, sexual orientation, ability, language, religious belief, national origin, age, and ideas. The increase of published literature about cultural competencies, microaggressions, and assessment of diversity issues, as well as the inclusion of social justice movements in libraries, suggests diversity-related activities have increased and evolved over the last seven years. Over this time span, several libraries have obtained funding to support strategies to increase the number of minority librarians on their staff and support their advancement within the organization. There also appears to be an increase in the number of diversity or multicultural groups at the local, state, and national levels. However, these changes have not been consistently documented. Therefore, it is important to re-examine this topic to evaluate the impact of evolving endeavors, to see if more ARL libraries are involved, to see how diversity plans have changed over the years, and to document the current practices of research libraries. The main purpose of this survey was to identify diversity trends and changes in managing diversity issues in ARL libraries through exploring the components of diversity plans and initiatives since 2010, acknowledge library efforts since the 1990s, provide evidence of best practices and future trends, and identify current strategies that increase the number of minority librarians in research libraries and the types of programs that foster a diverse workplace and climate. The survey was conducted between May 1 and June 5, 2017. Sixty-eight of the 124 ARL member institutions responded to the survey for a 55% response rate. Interestingly, only 22 of the respondents to the 2010 SPEC survey participated in this survey, but this provides an opportunity to explore the diversity and inclusion efforts of a new set of institutions in addition to seeing what changes those 22 institutions have made since 2010. The SPEC Survey on Diversity and Inclusion was designed by Toni Anaya, Instruction Coordinator, and Charlene Maxey-Harris, Research and Instructional Services Chair, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. These results are based on responses from 68 of the 124 ARL member libraries (55%) by the deadline of June 12, 2017. The survey’s introductory text and questions are reproduced below, followed by the response data and selected comments from the respondents. The purpose of this survey is to explore the components of diversity plans created since 2010, identify current recruitment and retention strategies that aim to increase the number of minority librarians in research libraries, identify staff development programs that foster an inclusive workplace and climate, identify how diversity programs have changed, and gather information on how libraries assess these efforts

Examining the impact of student involvement and intercultural experiences on perceptions of institutional commitment to diversity

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of involvement in student organizations as it relates to perceptions of campus climate. The researcher conducted a crosssectional, ex-post facto secondary data analysis of a 2005 institutional survey on diversity at Great Falls State University. The researcher utilized a Chi Square Test for Independence, as well as a Forward Thinking Logistic Regression Model to analyze the data. Although the main emphasis of the research was student involvement in student organizations, the researcher also analyzed data pertaining to background demographics and campus climate. The data results demonstrated differences in perception in demographics such as race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, religious beliefs, and political views. The researcher also found a relationship between campus climate and perception. The findings of this study enhance the body of knowledge in the areas of student involvement, student development, and campus climate. Although limited to one campus, this study gives institutions a better understanding of involvement, student backgrounds, and campus climate as they relate to student perceptions of institutional commitment to diversity

Information literacy instruction for Kuwaiti students and the role of cultural relevance

This study identifies the components of an instructional programme for information literacy that is culturally relevant to Kuwaiti students. It discusses culturally relevant education, instruction for information literacy, the provision of library and information skills instruction in Kuwait, and its characteristics as an independent nation, and as a Gulf, Arab, Islamic, and developing country. The study further tests the effect of cultural relevance on instruction for information literacy for Kuwaiti students with an experiment of comparative instruction. The control group received Western-oriented instruction for information literacy and the experimental group received instruction that substituted Kuwaiti cultural referents for some of the Western-oriented referents. The aims of instruction for both groups were basic levels of proficiency as described in Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning, and the main vehicle of instruction was the Big SixTM information problem solving strategy. The only difference in instruction between groups were the images in the Big SixTM transparencies used for overhead projection, the examples used in class to discuss various information problems and the corresponding images that represented the examples. The study measured the information problem solving achievement of 126 fourth- and eighth grade students with a pre- post-test, the recall of the Big Six strategy with a post-test, and student attitudes with a questionnaire. The analyses revealed that, overall, there is a significant difference in the mean achievement scores in information problem solving and the recall of the Big Six strategy between students who received culturally relevant instruction and those who received instruction that was not culturally relevant. Examined separately, males' scores were significantly higher in the group that received culturally relevant instruction, while females responded equally well to both types of instruction. In addition, the study found a strong correlation between the attitudes of students in the control and experimental groups, and between males and females within groups

Do Multicultural Experiences and Biculturalism Promote Creativity in International Students?

The 2009–2010 academic school year in the United States boasted a record number of enrolled international students. An estimated 690,923 students attended universities and colleges across the country (Open Doors, 2011). World markets and educational systems have become more connected and internationally focused. As a result, academic settings around the globe now encourage students to step beyond what is culturally familiar in order to become creative, knowledgeable, and competitive graduates. An empirical study by Maddux and Galinsky (2009) provides pioneering data that supports the connection of increased creativity through extended multicultural experiences. Individuals who are able to effectively incorporate customs from their home culture with that of the host culture are known as bicultural. The present study used an exploratory approach to provide additional information concerning the relationship between creativity and the variables that contribute to biculturalism (i.e. multilingualism, country of origin\u27s cultural orientation, time lived in the U.S). The link between creativity achievements as a result of proper adjustment (i.e. acculturative stress, GPA, social support, multicultural campus involvement) was also investigated. Information was obtained from 122 international student participants. Sample ages ranged from 17 to 40 and represented 39 countries of origin. Information was collected through the completion of survey packets that contained the Creative Achievement Questionnaire (CAQ; Carson, Peterson, & Higgins, 2005), the Duncker Candle insight problem (1945, Karl Duncker), the Vancouver Index of Acculturation (VIA; Ryder, Alden, & Paulhus, 2000), the Acculturative Stress Scale for International Students (ASSIS; Sandhu & Asrabadi, 1994), and a modified version of Social Support (Koeske & Koeske, 1989, 1993). Results from the study did not support the majority of initial assumptions. Key predictor variables such as multilingualism and acculturation strategy were not influential on creativity success. More specifically, the acculturation strategy did not account for variances beyond other factors as predicted. Significant findings concerned the length of time lived abroad and insight problem solving. Participants who lived in the United States for longer periods had greater success solving the Duncker Candle insight problem. Results indicated that students from collectivistic cultural backgrounds (loose and tight) had lower self-reports of creativity on the CAQ and were not successful in solving the Duncker Candle insight problem. In terms of gender, female participants were least associated with correct responses to the Duncker Candle insight problem. Indicators of student success were negatively correlated with acculturative stress. Students who generally indicated higher levels of stress were least successful on the Duncker Candle measure of insight creativity. Overall, the study provided support for the relationship between insight problem solving and time lived abroad. The present study paves the way for future research that compares creativity measures and factors of biculturalism

The socio-political bases of willingness to join environmental NGOs in China: a study in social cohesion

This article examines willingness to join China’s emerging green movement through an analysis of data from the China General Social Survey of 2006. A question asked about environmental NGO membership shows that whilst only one per cent of respondents claim to be members of an environmental NGO, more than three fifths say they would like to join one in future if there is an opportunity, slightly less than one fifth reject the idea, and the remainder are don’t knows. The paper tests explanations of willingness to join based on instrumentality, ideology, social identity and social capital networks. It finds that instrumental considerations dominate, although ideology, identity and networks contribute incrementally. The conclusion considers the usefulness of willingness to join as an indicator of social cohesion within the framework of a wider effort to evaluate social quality

A Phenomenological Study on the Professional Development of African American Male Administrators at Predominately White Post-~Secondary Institutions

As of today, African Americans continue to face a daunting endeavor when seeking to become executive administrative leaders at predominately White post-secondary institutions, even though, according to Tillman (2001), “Mentoring was identified as a technique to assist the professional advancement of African American faculty. In doing so, their numbers will increase at predominantly White institutions” (p. 295). Literature steadily indicates that mentorship contributes to one’s career development in the post-secondary environment. The influential aspects of mentorship on one’s professional development is supported by numerous studies that examines mentoring relationships across various academic disciplines and businesses in corporate America (Brown, 2005). In spite of this body of knowledge, African Americans in academic leadership positions often face various cultural challenges with minute mentoring opportunities (House, Thornton, Fowler & Francis, 2007). Within post-secondary academia, there is a considerable shortage of African American male administrative leaders. Numerous post-secondary institutions have mentoring programs, however, there is limited research aimed at examining how African American males are identified, recruited, retained, and developed for administrative positions. Furthermore, little has been documented regarding the experiences of African American male administrators who have been mentored. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to explore the role mentoring plays in the professional development of African American male administrators at post-secondary institutions. Keywords: African American, male, administrative, mentorin

Impact of a state sponsored intervention program on reading comprehension scores

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the impact of the state sponsored Ramp-Up Literacy intervention program on reading comprehension test scores as measured by Mississippi\u27s Subject Area Test Program (SATP) and the Mississippi Curriculum Test, Second Edition (MCT 2). There were 252 participants representing three school districts over three testing years. Each school district selected program participants based on reading test scores, teacher recommendations, and grades. A paired samples-t test was the statistical analysis used to determine significance through pretest and posttest outcomes for each program year. The effect size d was also used to determine whether the change in test scores was small, moderate, or significant. All schools did experience a change in effect size each year of intervention. However, they did not all experience significance based on t-test results each year