Connecting Students’ College Employment Experiences and Attitudes About Diversity

This study used data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education to consider whether college student employment was associated with changes in two measures of students’ diversity attitudes: openness to diversity and challenge and universal-diverse orientation. Additionally, this study considered whether interactions with diverse peers mediated this relationship. On-campus employment was positively associated with gains in openness to diversity and challenge and universal-diverse orientation, whereas off-campus employment was not associated with gains in either measure. Additionally, the relationship between on-campus employment and attitudes toward diversity appeared to be mediated by meaningful interactions with diverse peers.