Quality of Interracial Interaction Among University Students. Research Report No. 6-74

The purpose of this study was to investigate the quality of interaction among black and white university students while considering the nature of the situation and the race involved. A questionnaire consisting of 15 situations of an academic, social, and professional nature was administered to 314 freshman and sophomore students (60 percent male, 40 percent female, 56 percent white and 44 percent black). Data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance and Scheffe post hoc tests. Results indicated that regardless of race, students tended to feel most comfortable in an integrated situation (50 percent black, 50 percent white), less comfortable when they were in the majority, and least comfortable when they were in the minority. Exceptions where students preferred to be in the majority involved the situations of a party, a blind date, and having major surgery performed. Whites generally felt more comfortable than blacks in most situations. Blacks felt more comfortable than whites in an integrated neighborhood or dorm situation. Whites felt more comfortable than blacks being in a minority when discussing civil rights. Implications of the results for educators were discussed. It was concluded that while there were some negative findings, generally the results appeared to indicate that blacks and whites are approaching equality in their relations with one another. (Author)