Discrimination, Diversity, and Sense of Belonging: Experiences of Students of Color

Experiences of discrimination and bias are detrimental to the sense of belonging of students of color in higher education. Research has shown the positive benefits of interacting with diverse peers on sense of belonging for students of color attending a primarily White institution (PWI). Additionally, some research has indicated that when students of color perceive their institution to be unsupportive of them, they have a diminished sense of belonging. Therefore, this study examined the buffering effects of diverse peer interactions and institutional commitment to diversity on the relationship between discrimination-bias and sense of belonging for students of color at a 4-year PWI. Moderated regressions were conducted on the Diverse Learning Environments Survey (n = 626). Findings show that more diverse peer interactions and positive perceptions of institutional commitment to diversity buffer against the negative effects of discrimination and bias on sense of belonging for students of color attending a PWI. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.