Undergraduates have few science instructor role models with concealable stigmatized identities

• Published in: Physiology (Bethesda, Md.) Md.), 2024-05, Vol.39 (S1)
• Main Authors: Brownell, Sara, Busch, Carly, Cooper, Katelyn
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1548-9213; 1548-9221
• DOI: 10.1152/physiol.2024.39.S1.678

Abstract only Concealable stigmatized identities (CSIs) are identities that can be kept hidden and carry negative stereotypes depending on the culture of a particular context; common examples of CSIs in the U.S. are struggling with mental health and LGBTQ+ identities. In order to understand the potential influence instructors have as role models for their students based on CSIs, we must first explore the identities instructors have and whether they disclose those identities to their students. To address this gap in the literature, we conducted a study to examine (1) to what extent science instructors hold concealable identities, (2) whether they reveal those identities to undergraduates, and (3) how the prevalence of CSIs among science instructors compares to their prevalence among science undergraduates. We contacted every science instructor whose email we could find from very high research activity (R1) institutions and a subset completed the survey (N = 1,248); the survey began with a suite of demographic questions, including potential CSIs. For each CSI reported, instructors indicated the extent to which they revealed these identities to undergraduates. We surveyed a national sample of science undergraduate students from R1 institutions (N = 2,428) and asked whether they identified as having any of the CSIs included on the instructor survey. The most common CSIs among instructors were currently or previously having anxiety (35.4%) and being a first-generation college student (29.0%). Across all CSIs, relatively few instructors revealed their identities to students. When compared to the prevalence of the CSIs among undergraduates, we found the largest mismatches, calculated by subtracting the percent of undergraduates from the percent of instructors with each CSI, in reporting struggling academically in college (-30%), anxiety (-25%), and depression (-24%). For all identities, the mismatch between instructors and undergraduates grew when accounting for whether instructors revealed the CSI to their students. Given the potential for instructors to act as role models for students, understanding what identities instructors hold and the extent to which they share them with students is important to consider as we work toward creating a more diverse and inclusive scientific community. National Science Foundation. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional vers