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I would like to interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to *talk about undergraduate #LGBTQIA identifying students in #STEM.
*I'm in teaching fellows program in which I would normally implement this research in the classroom, but that's a bit hard rn. So here we go! /1
*I'm in teaching fellows program in which I would normally implement this research in the classroom, but that's a bit hard rn. So here we go! /1
Background: ~3.6% of the US pop. identifies as a member of this community (see Table 1, Cooper & Brownell 2018 for definitions), but I believe that number is quite low considering this data is often not collected + coming out is hard (see Schultz 1978 if you don't believe me) /2
...Compounded with the heteronormative/gender normative society that we live in (just the facts, people, don't @ me).. /3
..and "LGBTQIA" is a social identity that is still stigmatized whether it be for religious beliefs or just ignorance.
Listen, I can give you research here, but I'll tell you that I didn't come out until I was 23 and its something I actively have to do (or not do) every day. /4
Listen, I can give you research here, but I'll tell you that I didn't come out until I was 23 and its something I actively have to do (or not do) every day. /4
Most research related to LGBTQIA+ community is focused on adults in the work place. And it's not great:
In a 2014 survey, 70% of people said that talking about gender identity or sexual orientation in the workplace was “unprofessional” ( @HRC 2014) /5
In a 2014 survey, 70% of people said that talking about gender identity or sexual orientation in the workplace was “unprofessional” ( @HRC 2014) /5
So. What does this mean for students in STEM?
A national, longitudinal study found that STEM retention at 4-year institutions by sexual minorities is lower than their cis-heterosexual counterparts (Hughes 2018). /6
A national, longitudinal study found that STEM retention at 4-year institutions by sexual minorities is lower than their cis-heterosexual counterparts (Hughes 2018). /6
Why could this be?
A study interviewed a group of LGBTQIA+ undergrads & found it's "definitely not cool to be homophobic", but subtle forms of homophobia still exist in the biology classroom, specifically toward trans folks (Cooper 2018) /7
A study interviewed a group of LGBTQIA+ undergrads & found it's "definitely not cool to be homophobic", but subtle forms of homophobia still exist in the biology classroom, specifically toward trans folks (Cooper 2018) /7
Furthermore, active learning is a hot topic in higher education (basically the idea that student interactions are more effective for learning than lecture-only teaching) which means, students are actively engaging with each other and the instructor(s)... /8
A study on student feelings toward active learning found that queer students were less likely to report that active learning courses were inclusive (Henning et al 2019). This makes sense - student interactions often include getting to know each other... /9
..And coming out is not easy, as I (and research) previously mentioned. So what do we do?
In short, we need to make STEM classrooms more equitable.
As instructors, this could be something simple like stating your pronouns on the syllabus and/or in your introduction.. /10
In short, we need to make STEM classrooms more equitable.
As instructors, this could be something simple like stating your pronouns on the syllabus and/or in your introduction.. /10
Or, in the Cooper et al. study, six of the seven students said they would feel significantly more comfortable in a classroom where they knew that an instructor identified as LGBTQIA. This is more difficult (re: coming out), but could clearly be beneficial.. /11
In general, to make students feel comfortable, instructors could mention that they are an ally - a bit more of an active task for instructors, but Ally training is super beneficial for how to navigate these scenarios. See: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/about/programs-services/trevor-ally-training/ /12
If you've made it through this whole thread, thank you for reading! I am, by no means, an expert and am open to feedback or suggestions on this topic! :)
#EquityInTheClassroom
#EquityInTheClassroom
One more thing: I found this resource on Inclusion of LGBTQIA+ students very helpful! https://cehdvision2020.umn.edu/blog/inclusive-curriculum-lgbtq-education/
