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Experiencing the Unexpected: Toward a Model of College Diversity Experiences and Attitude Change
- The Review of Higher Education
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Volume 35, Number 2, Winter 2012
- pp. 179-205
- 10.1353/rhe.2012.0016
- Article
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Although numerous studies have examined the relationship between college diversity experiences and student outcomes, very little attention has been paid to the mechanism(s) underlying this development. This paper proposes a model of the psychological process through which college diversity experiences affect student attitudes and examines that model empirically using a sample of 387 students who completed service-learning courses. Structural equation modeling analyses indicate that diversity interactions are associated with “experiencing the unexpected,” which then contributes both to a subjective sense of belief challenge and to attitude change. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.