Diversity and Inclusion Climate of Selected Higher Education Institutions in India

Abstract

Diversity and inclusion (DandI),fundamental to higher education, have been a focus for newlinemany higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Global North. However, studies that newlineanalyse the relevance of DandI in Indian HEIs is scant. Hence, a convergent parallel newlinemixed-methods study was carried out to explore the DandI climate of selected HEIs in newlineIndia. Sampled participants from 12 HEIs across six major cities and a union territory newlineusing stratified purposive and purposive random sampling techniques. The study had newlinedata of 34 faculty in-depth interviews and 1006 students survey about DandI newlineknowledge, attitude, practice (DandI KAP), and DandI climate. The researcher used a newlinegrounded theory approach, an open-axial-selective coding process for qualitative; and newlinedescriptive and inferential statistics, multivariate binary logistic regression, path newlineanalysis and structural equation modelling for quantitative data analysis. Thereafter, newlinethe results were triangulated. The study found that faculty and students limited their newlineDandI knowledge to gender, caste and disability. Their knowledge about race, ethnicity, newlinegender identity and sexual orientation was inadequate. Several agreed that overt and newlinecovert beliefs determined cognitive, affective, conative and evaluative components of newlinetheir attitude towards others on campus. Most considered only reservation as the newlineevidence for DandI practice and reported having experienced or observed exclusionary newlinepractices. Though a few had stated that DandI climate was fair and sensible, many newlineexpressed the prevailing ethnocentrism, prejudice, cliques, homophily, stereotype and newlineunhealthy competition among students and faculty. Many voiced that the climate was newlineunfavourable for women faculty and students, women at leadership roles, sexual newlineminorities, persons with a disability, and the transgender. A key result of this study is newlinethat students and faculty with erroneous DandI KAP resulting in undesirable DandI newlineclimate remains as a major concern in Indian HEIs. There is a need for students and newlinefaculty to improve their DandI KAP and fos