Work

Majority group physics instructors struggle to notice, name, and disrupt racist and sexist student interactions

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Inequity is persistent in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics classrooms despite significant attention to upending it. In order to better understand how and why inequity persists, an analysis is presented of 27 self-identified white male physics faculty and graduate students responding to an interview prompt about the social exclusion of a Black woman by peers in a physics classroom. Three main research questions are addressed: (i) How familiar are these men with the alienation Black women frequently experience?, (ii) To what do they attribute this alienation?, and (iii) What do they think an instructor should do in a classroom where this alienation is occurring? Interviewees were found to have little understanding of the bias and discrimination Black women face, were hesitant to name the underlying cause as racism or sexism, and generally had limited insight into how to address racial and gender bias in their own classrooms. These findings indicate majority group instructors are ill equipped to recognize or disrupt oppressive structures in their own classrooms and may inadvertently exacerbate hostile interactions.

Source: Physical Review Physics Education Research

DOI: 10.1103/physrevphyseducres.21.010142

Author: Melissa Dancy

Institution: Western Michigan University

Language: English

Topic: Career Development and Diversity

Subfield: Safety Research

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Quality education, Gender equality

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,000