Dismantling Invisibility in Multiracial College Students

Abstract

This study was designed to test Tinto's theory of college student integration by measuring the social and academic integration of multiracial students. Policymakers and public interest have increased pressure on higher education institutions to address low degree completion rates among historically underrepresented racial minority students, leading to a targeted shift to assess and address factors that facilitate or hinder minority college student persistence. The participants for the current study consisted of a convenience sample of college students (n=173) classified as seniors at a mid-sized public four-year institution in Texas. The researcher collected pertinent demographic data and used the Institutional Integration Scale-Revised (IIS-R) to measure social and academic integration. The results of the analyses suggested a statistically significant correlation between being multiracial and social integration, but no significant correlation between being multiracial and academic integration.