This work is part of a retrospective collection of 179 electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) from the VCU Libraries pilot ETD system that were designated as available only to VCU users. Please contact us at if you have questions or if you are the author of one of these and would like to release it for online public access.

Non-VCU users: Please talk to your librarian about requesting this thesis through interlibrary loan.

Defense Date

2007

DOI

https://doi.org/10.25772/7E00-7A59

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Sociology & Anthropology

First Advisor

Dr. John S. Mahoney

Abstract

This study examines the relationships between students' perception of the supportiveness of the campus and students' level of satisfaction by analyzing and comparing National Survey of Student Engagement data related to the social and cultural experience of black and white undergraduate students who attend Virginia Commonwealth University, a large, urban, Southern, predominately white research oriented university located in Richmond, Virginia. Conclusively, the low levels of black undergraduate student engagement predicted by the literature were not found to be true of the Virginia Commonwealth University undergraduate sample reviewed. Black male students displayed the highest instances of high perceptions of a supportive campus environment, as well as the highest instances of high satisfaction scores. Few statistically significant differences were found between the scores of black and white students, regardless of the sex of the student.

Comments

Part of Retrospective ETD Collection, restricted to VCU only.

Rights

© The Author

Is Part Of

VCU University Archives

Is Part Of

VCU Theses and Dissertations

Date of Submission

June 2008

Share

COinS