Creating Inclusive Environments: The Mediating Effect of Faculty and Staff Validation on the Relationship of Discrimination/Bias to Students’ Sense of Belonging

Abstract

This study reexamines notions of student integration given continuing experiences of discrimination and bias on college campuses. Building on the scholarship on inclusion, the authors test the mediating effect of student experiences with faculty and staff validation on the relationship of discriminationand bias to students’ sense of belonging. The Diverse Learning Environments Survey was used to assess the model among 20,460 students attending broad access and selective institutions. Results show direct effects of validating experiences with faculty and staff on students’ sense of belonging, and that such experiences mitigate the effects of discrimination and bias. Creating inclusive environments for student development remains a responsibility of faculty and staff, which we rarely assess even as research begins to uncover principles for transformative practice.