Backwards on Racial Understanding

Study suggests students grow less interested in promoting racial understanding | Inside Higher Ed

This is a very interesting article that discuss students perceptions of the importance of promoting racial understanding across their undergraduate career. As stated in the article, 

"Students were asked: 'How important to you personally is helping to promote racial understanding?' The researchers write that they selected this as the question because, unlike questions about 'openness to diversity' or 'other more abstract notions of tolerance,' his question 'attempts to capture respondents’ personal commitment to improving racial understanding and may be less prone to social desirability bias.' Students were asked the question upon arriving at college, at the end of their freshman year, and at the end of their senior year."

Here are some of the results of the study:

Importance to College Students of Promoting Racial Understanding, on Scale of 1-4

Group	Start of Frosh Year	End of Frosh Year	Senior Year
White	2.47	2.32	2.31
Black	3.26	3.18	2.95
Latino	3.13	2.93	2.82
Asian	2.88	2.63	2.74

Contrary to the general belief, the study finds that, during the course of 4-years of college, change in racial attitudes seems to trend in a negative direction. The researchers did not find reasons as to why this is; however, they provide four circumstances that can increase student likelihood to commit to promoting racial understanding, 

• interracial friendships, 
• frequent discussions with other-race students, 
• frequent discussions with faculty members whose views differ from their own, 
• and taking courses that focus on diverse cultures and perspectives.

What are others thoughts as to reasons for this negative trend? What can be done to counteract it?