Affecting retention: the relationship between intersectionality and students’ institutional experiences

Abstract

The purpose of my study was to use an intersectional lens to understand the relationship between race and gender and institutional experiences in student retention at a selective predominantly White institution. I used Tinto’s (1993) longitudinal model of institutional departure as the foundation to understand students’ decision-making processes based on gender and race. Existing research emphasizes the roles that gender, race, and level of involvement play in student retention. The data I analyzed confirmed these previous findings and added the perspective of the intersectionality of race and gender in exploring students’ sense of belonging. Female students of color had the lowest mean scores related to a sense of belonging. Furthermore, the two factors most important to students developing a sense of belonging were validation and socialization. I applied a quantitative criticalist (Stage & Wells, 2014) approach and used the 2015 Diverse Learning Environments (DLE) Survey, developed by the Higher Education Research Institute, to explore any systemic inequities in educational outcomes at Southwest University. Researchers use the DLE survey to assess the capacity of their campus climate and culture to support a multicultural community towards retention and graduation. Examining the instrument through the lens of intersectionality produced more specific results. I used analysis of variance and hierarchical multiple regression to analyze the data. The results indicated that female students of color at a predominantly White institution are the most at risk of low retention and graduation rates. Consequently, I suggest that reform and changes to educational practices are necessary to increase the validation and socialization of female students of color. It is not enough for college administrators to simply recruit female students of color to college campuses to increase the diversity of the student population. Crucially, they must deliver on the promises made during the recruitment process by helping to provide an environment and culture at predominantly White institutions that support female students of color in thriving throughout their collegiate experiences until graduation.