ERIC Number: EJ1428702
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-May
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0195-6744
EISSN: EISSN-1549-6511
Available Date: N/A
Direct and Indirect Impacts of Sociopolitical Contexts on Campus Climate: Student Perceptions and Experiences between 2016 and 2018
Marcela G. Cuellar; Maira G. Pulido; Alicia Bencomo Garcia
American Journal of Education, v130 n3 p455-479 2024
Purpose: Several studies uncover how the period leading up to the 2016 election and the Trump administration affected college students, in particular those targeted by the rhetoric and policies in this tense sociopolitical environment. This article builds on this scholarship and examines how the broader sociopolitical context shaped how targeted and nontargeted students perceived and experienced the campus climate. Research Methods/Approach: We interviewed 21 students who had taken a higher-education course at one institution to gather their perspectives of campus climate. Students commonly referenced undocumented students and students of color as directly affected by policies and rhetoric during this time. We subsequently considered self-identified students of color and undocumented students as belonging to targeted groups and those who did not as nontargeted. Findings: Students described how the sociopolitical climate between 2016 and 2018 directly and indirectly influenced campus climate based on their perceptions and experiences. Students shared how discourse toward minoritized communities increased overt marginalization in the United States and on campuses. Immigration policies were frequently mentioned as impactful, and nontargeted students expressed major concerns for their targeted peers and family members. A few students also described how the polarized sociopolitical climate outside the university created divisions among students. Implications: Institutions should seek ways to ameliorate concerns and tensions students may feel as a result of challenging sociopolitical and campus climates. In addition to supporting students from targeted communities, institutions should provide opportunities for nontargeted students to learn more about issues affecting targeted communities.
Descriptors: Student Attitudes, Educational Experience, Campuses, Presidents, Elections, Political Attitudes, Undocumented Immigrants, Minority Group Students, Public Policy, Racism, Social Bias, Student Characteristics, Social Environment, Discourse Analysis, Disadvantaged, College Students, Immigration, Conflict, Social Problems, Universities
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A