African American Students in College: The Social Integration Experiences of African American Students Attending a Predominantly White Institution

Dr. Mullins examines the influences that demographic and racial background factors have on African American students¿ perceptions of the college racial climate at a predominantly White institution, and subsequently, how these perceptions of the racial climate are related to their social integration experiences and subsequent college academic performance. A single-state survey, entitled the ¿Student Experiences Questionnaire,¿ was used to gather data from 327 African American undergraduate students attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), a comprehensive, major public research university located in Champaign, Illinois. Although the study focused on African Americans, data was also gathered on 345 Whites, 260 Hispanics, and 284 Asian Americans for comparative observations, following the analysis of the three research questions on African Americans. Each respondent answered questions relating to his or her demographic profile, high school and pre-college neighborhood racial make-up, perceptions of the college racial climate, social integration practices, and college academic performance.