Taming the River (ebook)

Argumento de Taming the River (ebook)

Building on their important findings in The Source of the River, the authors now probe even more deeply into minority underachievement at the college level. Taming the River examines the academic and social dynamics of different ethnic groups during the first two years of college. Focusing on racial differences in academic performance, the book identifies the causes of students' divergent grades and levels of personal satisfaction with their institutions.

Using survey data collected from twenty-eight selective colleges and universities, Taming the River considers all facets of student life, including who students date, what fields they major in, which sports they play, and how they perceive their own social and economic backgrounds. The book explores how black and Latino students experience pressures stemming from campus racial climate and "stereotype threat"--when students underperform because of anxieties tied to existing negative stereotypes. Describing the relationship between grade performance and stereotype threat, the book shows how this link is reinforced by institutional practices of affirmative action. The authors also indicate that when certain variables are controlled, minority students earn the same grades, express the same college satisfaction, and remain in school at the same rates as white students.

A powerful look at how educational policies unfold in America's universities, Taming the River sheds light on the social and racial factors influencing student success.

"An insightful study of scholastic performance and ethnicity on US campuses. . . . The increasing relative underperformance of US higher education, and especially the variations in academic achievement and persistence between students from different ethnic and socio-economic groups, has recently spawned a plethora of scholarly studies. This book is one of the most important."--Roger Brown, Times Higher Education

"Our image of life in America's selective colleges has not caught up with the realities of that life, especially regarding the diverse students these schools now serve and the challenges these students face. This book--part of a series reporting on one of the most ambitious studies ever done on the experience of different groups in elite higher education--does more to remedy this problem than anything I have read in ten years. It delivers a revealing description of this part of society with comprehensive data that are brilliantly interpreted. It will be indispensable reading for anyone concerned with higher education policy and the challenges of racial integration in the United States."--Claude Steele, Stanford University

"Taming the River provides the best analysis yet of the factors influencing the academic performance of different racial groups in selective colleges. It contains an illuminating discussion of how undergraduates divide their time among coursework, social activities, recreation, and other pursuits, and why some students drop out of college or transfer to other institutions. This book will be invaluable to anyone interested in undergraduate education."--Derek Bok, coauthor of The Shape of the River

"This is the most detailed and sophisticated analysis of the determinants of student grades that has ever been done. The arguments and data are compelling."--Stephen Cole, State University of New York, Stony Brook

"Taming the River is an important contribution to our understanding of the college experience and specifically the factors influencing academic performance of minority students. Using a unique dataset containing an incredible richness of information on college experiences, the authors provide compelling explanations with breadth and depth."--Josipa Roksa, University of Virginia

Camille Z. Charles is the Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Professor in the Social Sciences, and professor of sociology, education, and Africana studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Mary J. Fischer is assistant professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut. Margarita A. Mooney is assistant professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Douglas S. Massey is the Henry G. Bryant Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs at Princeton University.

"Fascinating and important for anyone who cares about managing diversity in higher education."--Stanley Katz, Teachers College Record

"Taming the River is a well written and compelling read that uses sound research and analysis based in strong foundations of sociology and social psychology. The book clearly stimulates thought about institutional, state, and federal policies."--Noah D. Drezner, Journal of College Student Retention0List of Tables and Figures vii
Acknowledgments xi
Chapter 1: Entering the Current 1
Chapter 2: Staying Afloat Academically 22
Chapter 3: Staying Afloat Socially 71
Chapter 4: Staying Afloat Financially 99
Chapter 5: Battling Social Undercurrents 119
Chapter 6: The Hidden Rocks of Segregation 150
Chapter 7: The Shoals of Stereotypes 173
Chapter 8: The Wake from Affirmative Action 188
Chapter 9: College at Midstream 205
Appendix A: Questionnaire Used in Spring of Freshman Year 235
Appendix B: Questionnaire Used in Spring of Sophomore Year 252
Appendix C: Construction of Social Scales 273
References 279
Index 295