Date of Award
Summer 8-24-2004
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Organizational Unit
Morgridge College of Education, Research Methods and Information Science, Research Methods and Statistics
First Advisor
Nicholas J. Cutforth
Second Advisor
Lilian L. Chimuma
Third Advisor
Kristin L. Deal
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
All Rights Reserved.
Keywords
Organizational theory, Psychometrics, Quantitative methods, Research productivity
Abstract
Diversity is a vital concept when engaging with modern social science research and among higher education practitioners. Despite the pervasive discourse surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, quantification of diversity remains a challenge across the social sciences. This study proposes a new conceptual framework, applies the framework to the quantification of diversity and measurement of its impacts. Further, this study demonstrates the robustness of the new conceptual framework alongside the positive impacts of diversity on institutional outcomes.
The Organization-As-The-Individual (OATI) framework arises from an integration of the social and biological sciences. The framework argues that humans, as biological organisms, can be conceptualized in a manner similar to other organisms. Chiefly, this means considering the superorganism – or the groups that humans belong to – as an emergent property of the interaction of multiple individuals. Diversity can thus be considered a latent trait underlying the behavior of the superorganism, leading to the application of psychometric measures to the superorganism.
This study begins by examining the relationship between institutional research productivity and institutional diversity. By conceptualizing diversity as occurring at the institutional level, factor analysis was used to reduce the numerous dimensions of diversity to only five factors. Multiple regression was then used to predict the number of research publications from the calculated diversity of each institution. The factor analyses were modified to incorporate different definitions of race and ethnicity – a common issue when using longitudinal social science data.
The OATI framework was then applied to reevaluate the factor analysis results and create a measurement model using psychometric techniques. These psychometrically derived measured dimensions of diversity were then used in additional multiple regression models to again predict institutional research publications. Results showed that the psychometric approach more accurately predicted institutional research productivity and can be easily adapted to accommodate and equate different dimensions of diversity.
Copyright Date
8-2024
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Rights Holder
Ian Spencer Ray
Provenance
Received from Author
File Format
application/pdf
Language
English (eng)
Extent
1047 pgs
File Size
77.2 MB
Recommended Citation
Ray, Ian Spencer, "Building a Model of Campus Diversity: An Organization-as-the-Individual Based Approach" (2004). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2493.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/2493
Included in
Applied Statistics Commons, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commons, Higher Education Commons, Institutional and Historical Commons, Longitudinal Data Analysis and Time Series Commons
