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Campus in Color 2o8 Visual Representation of Black Students
Seeing campus in color: Visual representation of black students and its effect on enrollment at predominantly
white, faith-based universities
Namon B. Pope
Abstract: As higher education institutions diversify their student body; they employ tactics specifically aimed at reaching prospective students from minority groups. This study examined marketing tactics used by universities through a content analysis of photographs posted to the Instagram accounts of three faith-based universities in the United States.
Photographed individuals were classified into different ethnic groups to understand how frequently members of those groups were visually represented. A Pearson Correlation using data gathered from the content analysis and each university’s enrollment and retention data for Black students did not find statistical significance. Limitations of the study and future research are discussed.
Keywords·. Higher education , diversity, social media , student retention
Namon B. Pope (B.A., Harding University) is a recent graduate in Integrated Marketing Communication and a Ronald E. MeNair Scholar
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Colleges and universities all over the United States want to increase the ethnic diversity of their student body and faculty. As they market their respective academic, study abroad, and extracurricular programs to all prospective students, they also market themselves specifically to minority groups to encourage them to enroll. Colleges and universities may overrepresent minority students in their admissions visuals, painting a picture of a campus that is more diverse than it is in reality. This practice is one of many in the effort to diversify institutions of higher education.
Although universities use this strategy to bring in more ethnically diverse students, the retention rate of minorities continues to be consistently lower than that of their White peers (Shapiro, Dundar, Huie, Wakhungu, Yuan, Nathan, & Hwang, 2017), suggesting that something occurs after enrollment that prevents these students from continuing their education.
While it does not make sense to continue these practices without proof that they work, there is yet to be research conducted that compares a university’s minority student enrollment and retention numbers to the rate at which minority students are represented in marketing visuals. This study first addresses whether a university’s marketing visuals accurately represent the demographics of the campus. Next, the study addresses how each university’s marketing tactics affect the enrollment and retention of its students who identify as Black or African American, and whether the university’s enrollment and retention of its Black students changes in connection with the visual representation of Black students and faculty.
The study uses a content analysis to obtain data. By analyzing the Instagram accounts of three faith-based universities in the United States, the study aims to understand the rate at which Black individuals appear in each university’s promotional efforts. This rate is then
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compared to the university’s enrollment and retention numbers of Black students in the succeeding year to see if there is any correlation between the two. These numbers are considered over a four-year span. As these types of marketing strategies can cause minority students to perceive the university as inclusive, the interaction of positive expectations from minority representation in visuals and lackluster campus climate is discussed.
Literature Review
Black students are over 20% less likely to graduate from college within six years than their White peers (Shapiro et al., 2017)· In a study that analyzed the rate of degree completion based on ethnicity, Shapiro et al. (2017) found that Black students had a six-year degree completion rate of45·9%, compared to White students’ completion rate of67.2% in the same amount of time and lower than the national average of 54·8%. Black men seem to struggle the most, having a stop-out rate of 41.1%- the highest of any group at public, four-year institutions. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have a better track record than Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs), graduating Black students at a much higher rate (Provasnik & Shafer, zoo5)· Researchers have studied this disparity in college retention rates and attribute it to several factors, especially campus climate.
In contrast with previous models of student departure from higher education, which focused solely on the psychological aspects of the student, such as the ability to meet academic demands, personality, and motivation as reasons for withdrawing, Tinto (1987) proposed his Theory of Student Departure. Tinto saw that current models put all of the responsibility of departure either on the student or on external forces and missed the role that factors within the institution itself played in the decision. In order for students to have the best chance of completing their education, they must integrate well socially and academically (Tinto, 1987). Tinto’s theory claims that academic and
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social experiences at a university interact with a student’s attributes, dispositions, and skills to either increase or decrease the likelihood of departure.
Helland, Stallings, and Braxton (2002) provided empirical evidence to verify part of Tinto’s Theory of Student Departure. In studying the effect of expectation fulfillment on college students’ departure decision, the researchers found that ‘the greater the extent to which a student’s social expectations for college are met, the greater the student’s degree of integration into the social communities of a college or university” (Helland et al., 2002, p. 393)· According to Tinto’s theory (1987), this increased integration leads to a decreased likelihood of college departure. With social integration playing such a large role in the decision to depart from college and with Black students dropping out at much higher rates than their White peers, it is important to identify elements in the recruitment process that may be preventing these students from fully integrating into their campus environment.
Because of their status as a minority group, Black students have a different experience in higher education than White students. Wirth (1941) defined a minority group as those who because of physical or social and cultural differences receive differential treatment and who regard themselves as a people apart. Such groups characteristically are held in lower esteem, are debarred from certain opportunities, or are excluded from full participation in our national life. Certain groups within our society occupy not merely a disadvantageous objective position but also tend to develop a conception of themselves as inferiors, as aliens, and as persecuted groups, which significantly affects their roles in the collective enterprises ofthe nation. (p. 415)
Using this definition to inform what groups qualify as ethnic minorities, this study will work with the understanding that Black students fit this definition of a minority group. PWIs have specific
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difficulties when attempting to retain their Black students. College campus climate plays an important role in student retention since students naturally desire to stay where they feel accepted and welcome (McClain & Perry, 2017)· Many students of color face microaggressions or even oven racist experiences on the campuses of PWIs on top ofthe usual difficulties of navigating college life. During interviews with different minority students about their college experiences, Wright (2008) found that Black students at a PWI do not feel that they have the privilege afforded to their White counterparts of being «just a student.” Instead, their uniqueness makes them hypervisible and more likely to be singled out by members of campus (Wright, 2008). While also navigating the usual stresses of college life as all students do, African American students effectively have to fight to be part of the community at a PWI.
Overt racist encounters can cause minorities to feel alienated, leading to isolation from the majority of the student body (Jones, Castellanos, & Cole, 2002). Additionally, the number of faculty who come from a non-white ethnic group has lagged behind over the years despite the growth of minority student numbers (Jayakumar, Howard, Allen, & Han, 2009). Those faculty members of color who are present tend to hold lower ranks than their White counterparts. This lack of diversity in the professoriate limits institutions in their ability to create a campus climate that is welcoming to different ethnic backgrounds, despite appearing so from the outside.
Foss (2005) explains that rhetoric is not limited to words spoken or written down on a page, but also includes the messages we send visually. Aristotle (367-347/1984) defined rhetoric as “the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion” (p. 24). In her theory of visual rhetoric, Foss suggests that visual artifacts can be used to communicate with an audience and can be analyzed in a very similar way to verbal rhetoric. For something to serve as an artifact of visual rhetoric, it must fulfill three criteria. An artifact ofvisual rhetoric
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Excellent Quality 95-100%
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Introduction
45-41 points The background and significance of the problem and a clear statement of the research purpose is provided. The search history is mentioned. |
Literature Support 91-84 points The background and significance of the problem and a clear statement of the research purpose is provided. The search history is mentioned. |
Methodology 58-53 points Content is well-organized with headings for each slide and bulleted lists to group related material as needed. Use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. to enhance readability and presentation content is excellent. Length requirements of 10 slides/pages or less is met. |
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Average Score 50-85% |
40-38 points More depth/detail for the background and significance is needed, or the research detail is not clear. No search history information is provided. |
83-76 points Review of relevant theoretical literature is evident, but there is little integration of studies into concepts related to problem. Review is partially focused and organized. Supporting and opposing research are included. Summary of information presented is included. Conclusion may not contain a biblical integration. |
52-49 points Content is somewhat organized, but no structure is apparent. The use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. is occasionally detracting to the presentation content. Length requirements may not be met. |
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Poor Quality 0-45% |
37-1 points The background and/or significance are missing. No search history information is provided. |
75-1 points Review of relevant theoretical literature is evident, but there is no integration of studies into concepts related to problem. Review is partially focused and organized. Supporting and opposing research are not included in the summary of information presented. Conclusion does not contain a biblical integration. |
48-1 points There is no clear or logical organizational structure. No logical sequence is apparent. The use of font, color, graphics, effects etc. is often detracting to the presentation content. Length requirements may not be met |
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Campus in Color 2o8 Visual Representation of Black Students |
Campus in Color 2o8 Visual Representation of Black Students