Diversity-receptiveness in higher education: Perceived multicultural norms, well-being and attitudes toward international students

Abstract Despite recent developments in diversity climate research, few studies have explicitly examined perceived multicultural norms within educational contexts. This paper describes the construction and validation of the Normative Multiculturalism Scale for Educational Institutions (NMS-EI). Grounded in social, political, and acculturation psychology, the three-factor structure—Multicultural Ideology (MI), Multicultural Contact (MC), and Multicultural Policies and Practices (MPP)—was tested and confirmed in a sample of 684 culturally diverse university students in New Zealand. Correlations with validation measures, e.g., personal attitudes toward diversity and perceived institutional norms for intercultural contact and pro-diversity practices, supported the convergent and criterion validity of the subscales. In a second study with 347 culturally diverse university students in the U.S.A., structural equation models assessed the direct and indirect effects of the NMS-EI subscales on attitudes toward international students and psychological well-being as mediated by perceived threat and sense of inclusion, respectively. Results indicated that MI had a positive direct effect on intergroup attitudes and a positive indirect effect via diminished threat. Furthermore, MI and MPP had positive indirect effects on psychological well-being through an increased sense of inclusion. MC was unrelated to either outcome. The results are discussed in terms of their application to the development of programs and policies that can enhance diversity-receptive environments in higher education institutions.