Interracial Contact at a Diverse High School: How School and Community Structures Shape Students’ Experiences

Utilizing survey data from 70 tenth grade students at a high school with a racially diverse student population of 45.6% Black, 42.8% White, 6.8% Multiracial and 3.0% Asian or Pacific Islander, multiple regression analysis was employed to analyze the extent to which aspects of meaningful intergroup contact across race, which included Quantity of Contact, Quality of Contact, and Friendship, were impacted by the racial compositions of participants’ neighborhoods, school settings, and extracurricular activities. Results indicated that school settings and the racial composition of extracurricular activities had statistically significant impacts on Friendship – the percentage of friends of a different race than participants in their friendship networks. As the percentage of Black students in participants’ extracurricular activities increased, the percentage of students that were of a different race in friendship networks decreased. While there were some limitations, this study provided a discussion and analysis of factors that diverse schools may consider when attempting to understand or promote intergroup contact within their buildings

Interracial Contact at a Diverse High School: How School and Community Structures Shape Students’ Experiences

Utilizing survey data from 70 tenth grade students at a high school with a racially diverse student population of 45.6% Black, 42.8% White, 6.8% Multiracial and 3.0% Asian or Pacific Islander, multiple regression analysis was employed to analyze the extent to which aspects of meaningful intergroup contact across race, which included Quantity of Contact, Quality of Contact, and Friendship, were impacted by the racial compositions of participants’ neighborhoods, school settings, and extracurricular activities. Results indicated that school settings and the racial composition of extracurricular activities had statistically significant impacts on Friendship – the percentage of friends of a different race than participants in their friendship networks. As the percentage of Black students in participants’ extracurricular activities increased, the percentage of students that were of a different race in friendship networks decreased. While there were some limitations, this study provided a discussion and analysis of factors that diverse schools may consider when attempting to understand or promote intergroup contact within their buildings

INTERRACIAL CONTACT AT A DIVERSE HIGH SCHOOL: HOW SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY STRUCTURES SHAPE STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCES

Utilizing survey data from 70 tenth grade students at a high school with a racially diverse student population of 45.6% Black, 42.8% White, 6.8% Multiracial and 3.0% Asian or Pacific Islander, multiple regression analysis was employed to analyze the extent to which aspects of meaningful intergroup contact across race, which included Quantity of Contact, Quality of Contact, and Friendship, were impacted by the racial compositions of participants’ neighborhoods, school settings, and extracurricular activities. Results indicated that school settings and the racial composition of extracurricular activities had statistically significant impacts on Friendship – the percentage of friends of a different race than participants in their friendship networks. As the percentage of Black students in participants’ extracurricular activities increased, the percentage of students that were of a different race in friendship networks decreased. While there were some limitations, this study provided a discussion and analysis of factors that diverse schools may consider when attempting to understand or promote intergroup contact within their buildings