Ethnically Diverse College Students’ Psychological Sense of Community: Do Their Perceptions of Campus Racial Climate Influence It?

Oct 15, 2026

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Study examining whether ethnically diverse students’ perceptions of campus racial climate contribute to psychological sense of community (PSOC) on a predominantly White campus. Using regression analyses and controlling for other variables predicting PSOC, results show racial climate relates to PSOC for students of color, with a nearly significant pattern for White students. Findings are discussed for colleges seeking to strengthen PSOC among students from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Background on psychological sense of community (PSOC)

Personal factors associated with PSOC

Ethnicity and the campus context

Racial climate and its relationship to PSOC

Ethnically Diverse College Students’ Psychological Sense of Community: Do Their Perceptions of Campus Racial Climate Influence It? Joseph C. Berryhill, Erin K. Bee Colleges often seek to promote a psychological sense of community (PSOC) among their students. However, there is limited research on factors promoting PSOC, and little empirical evidence on whether students of different ethnic backgrounds might experience PSOC differently. This study, which took place on a predominantly White campus, explored whether ethnically diverse students’ perceptions of racial climate contributed to their PSOC, after controlling for other variables that predict sense of community. Regression analyses demonstrated that racial climate was related to PSOC for students of color, a trend that also was nearly significant for White students. We discuss implications of the findings, highlighting suggestions for campuses interested in enhancing PSOC for students of diverse ethnic backgrounds. Colleges frequently are encouraged to promote a psychological sense of community (PSOC), or the perception among students that they belong in a setting and are involved harmoniously with others there (e.g., McDonald, 2002; Spitzberg & Thorndike, 1992) . There are limited studies of PSOC in educational settings (see Berger, 1997; Lounsbury & DeNeui, 1995) . However, extant research points to positive outcomes for students with high levels of PSOC in elementary school (Solomon, Watson, Battistich, Schaps, & Delucchi, 1996), middle and high school (Pretty, Conroy, Dugay, Fowler, & Williams, 1996; Royal & Rossi, 1996), and college (Berger, 1997; McCarthy, Pretty, & Catano, 1990) . Thus the goal of promoting students‘ PSOC appears to be laudable. Yet colleges seeking to enhance PSOC will find limited help from social scientists. Previous research primarily has demonstrated that a number of personal factors are associated with an enhanced PSOC, a construct that is often defined and measured in diverse ways. Variables that have predicted higher levels of PSOC include: Joseph Berryhill is an associate professor in the department ofpsychology at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, Erin K. Bee is a recent graduate with a BA in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Correspondence concerning this article should be sent [to jberryhi@unca.edu](to jberryhi@unca.edu). Demographic variables. In a study of students at 23 colleges, females were more likely to experience higher levels of campus PSOC, probably because they are more sociable than males (Lounsbury & DeNeui, 1995) . Out-of-state residency also was associated with higher PSOC, possibly because students living farther from their universities have no other ties. Advanced students (i.e., seniors) had lower sense of community, possibly because they were disengaging from campus life. Students living on campus also tended to have higher levels of PSOC. Big Five personality characteristics. Four of the ―Big Five‖ – neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness – were related to PSOC in one study of college students, making the authors question whether PSOC is primarily a personality construct rather than a community one (Lounsbury, Loveland, & Gibson, 2003) . Extraversion may be particularly important, as its correlation was strongest (Lounsbury et al.) and other studies also have demonstrated its link to PSOC among college students (DeNeui, 2003; Lounsbury & DeNeui, 1996) . Involvement. Being involved in campus organizations is related to PSOC, with students participating in more campus activities having greater sense of community (DeNeui, 2003) . Interpersonal support also is associated with higher PSOC (Pretty, 1990) . While many studies focus on students‘ traits that might contribute to PSOC, one characteristic that has received limited attention is ethnicity. Psychological sense of community traditionally has been studied and fou

FAQs

What is the main research question of the study?

The study asks whether ethnically diverse students’ perceptions of the campus racial climate influence their psychological sense of community (PSOC).

Where was the study conducted and who participated?

The research took place on a predominantly White campus and focused on ethnically diverse students, including students of color and White students.

What do the regression results show about racial climate and PSOC?

Racial climate is related to PSOC for students of color, and the pattern is nearly significant for White students as well.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by jayni