Breaking the Segregation Cycle: Examining Students' Precollege Racial Environments and College Diversity Experiences

This study explored how students' precollege racial environments shaped their diversity experiences in college, and it tested whether diverse college experiences interrupt the cyclical effects of precollege segregation. Using longitudinal survey data collected at nine public universities, the study concluded that students' precollege racial experiences show significant and lasting effects on frequency of positive cross-racial interactions in the early college years. The results also demonstrate that diverse college settings as well as students' college diversity experiences can mediate the lingering effects of precollege segregation by promoting greater positive interactions across race in the early college years.