Integrating Critical Approaches into Quantitative STEM Equity Work

The recent anti-racist movements in the United States have inspired a national call for more research on the experiences of racially marginalized and minoritized students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. As researchers focused on promoting diversity, equity, and in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:CBE life sciences education 2022-03, Vol.21 (1), p.es1-es1
Main Authors: Pearson, Meaghan I, Castle, Sarah D, Matz, Rebecca L, Koester, Benjamin P, Byrd, W. Carson
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Critical Thinking
Diversity
Educational Research
Engineering - education
Equal Education
General s and
Higher Education
Humans
Inclusion
Mathematics
Minority Group Students
Race
Racial Bias
Standardized Tests
STEM Education
Students
Technology - education
Universities
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Summary:The recent anti-racist movements in the United States have inspired a national call for more research on the experiences of racially marginalized and minoritized students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. As researchers focused on promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, we contend that STEM education must, as a discipline, grapple with how analytic approaches may not fully support equity efforts. We discuss how researchers and educational practitioners should more critically approach STEM equity analyses and why modifying our approaches matters for STEM equity goals. Engaging with equity as a process rather than a static goal, we provide a primer of reflective questions to assist researchers with framing, analysis, and interpretation of student-level data frequently used to identify disparities and assess course-level and programmatic interventions. This guidance can inform analyses conducted by campus units such as departments and programs, but also across universities and the scientific community to enhance how we understand and address systemic inequity in STEM fields.
ISSN:1931-7913
1931-7913
DOI:10.1187/cbe.21-06-0158