Author ORCID Identifier
Nicole L. Scheuermann: 0009-0001-7191-7110
Candice Idlebird: 0009-0005-5436-6336
Sayali Kukday: 0000-0002-5467-7792
Vance J. McCracken: 0000-0002-8533-5808
Rachel E. Bradley: 0000-0002-1272-7421
Heather E Bergan-Roller: 0000-0003-4580-7775
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
CBE—Life Sciences Education
Abstract
Science is often portrayed as a meritocratic endeavor, but university biology programs exhibit high rates of student attrition, particularly among students of Color, despite similar interest and aptitude for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as White students. Culturally relevant pedagogy is associated with student persistence in STEM. One way to practice culturally relevant pedagogy in biology courses is to engage students in discussions of race, racism, or racial equity. Guidance exists to help instructors incorporate race-related topics into the biology curriculum, but the reasoning behind the decision of whether to adopt this practice is not well characterized. Understanding instructors’ perceptions and experiences in implementing these topics will help identify supports and address barriers to instructor adoption. In this study, we examine university biology instructors’ motivations for incorporating topics of race, racism, or racial equity in biology courses and contextual factors that influence this motivation. We found that the instructors were primarily motivated by intrinsic factors, desire to promote student learning and success, and social injustice events despite lacking external incentives. The instructors also held anti-racist perspectives when developing learning experiences for their students. How change agents can leverage these findings to promote rightful presence in biology courses is discussed.
DOI
10.1187/cbe.24-01-0013
Publication Date
2024
Recommended Citation
Scheuermann, N.L.G, Idlebird, C., Kukday, S., McCracken V., Bradley, R.E., Bergan-Roller, H.E.* (2024). University biology classrooms as spaces for anti-racist work: Instructor motivations for incorporating race, racism, and racial equity content. CBE-Life Sciences Education 23(4), ar61. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.24-01-0013
Original Citation
Scheuermann, N.L.G, Idlebird, C., Kukday, S., McCracken V., Bradley, R.E., Bergan-Roller, H.E.* (2024). University biology classrooms as spaces for anti-racist work: Instructor motivations for incorporating race, racism, and racial equity content. CBE-Life Sciences Education 23(4), ar61. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.24-01-0013
Department
Department of Biological Sciences
