Fostering Inclusivity: Exploring the Impact of Identity Safety Cues and Instructor Gender on Students’ Impressions and Belonging

Abstract

Background: Students with marginalized identities can experience identity threats in higher education. Instructors can help improve student outcomes by using identity safety cues (ISCs), which signal to marginalized groups that their identities are valued. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine whether including ISCs in course syllabi could improve students’ belonging-related outcomes and whether these outcomes differ based on instructor gender. Method: Using an experimental design, undergraduate students viewed a syllabus that included or excluded ISCs from either a White male or female professor. Participants reported their anticipated belonging and instructor impressions. Results: Participants reported greater expected engagement and field belonging and had more positive impressions of the instructor when the syllabus included ISCs compared to the control syllabus. Instructor gender had a minimal impact on participants’ outcomes and impressions. Conclusion: This work demonstrates including ISCs in course syllabi can positively impact students when course instructors are White men or women. Teaching Implications: ISCs improved participants’ anticipated engagement and field belonging regardless of instructor gender. This work suggests instructors can improve students’ first impressions and intentions by including ISCs in their course syllabi.

Social Justice Pedagogy: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Teaching of Psychology

“…Members of academic departments, colleges and universities will appreciate Lund's (2023) review of the literature, observations, and recommendations for supporting graduate student teachers with disabilities. Instructors across levels of experience seeking ways to create more inclusive classroom communities will benefit from reviewing Maimon, Howansky, and Sanchez's (2023) paper which presents the results of a study that indicate that embedding identity safe cues in syllabi is an effective approach to improve student engagement and field belonging.…”

Personality traits as identity threat cues: Stigmatized perceivers infer prejudice from disagreeableness

“…People with stigmatized identities encounter information in social environments (e.g., schools, workplaces, intergroup interactions) that can increase feelings of identity threat (Steele et al, 2002). One way to alleviate the negative impacts of identity threat is to foster feelings of identity safety (Maimon et al, 2023; Purdie‐Vaughns & Walton, 2011). People with stigmatized identities regularly encounter identity safety and threat cues , which are interpersonal and environmental cues that signal the value of their identity in a particular context (Chaney et al, 2019; Pietri et al, 2018; Purdie‐Vaughns et al, 2008).…”

“…People with stigmatized identities regularly encounter identity safety and threat cues , which are interpersonal and environmental cues that signal the value of their identity in a particular context (Chaney et al, 2019; Pietri et al, 2018; Purdie‐Vaughns et al, 2008). Identity safety cues (e.g., gender‐inclusive bathrooms, ingroup role models, diverse representation) can improve comfort, expected treatment, and impressions for people with stigmatized identities (Chaney & Sanchez, 2018; Howansky et al, 2021; Maimon et al, 2023). In contrast, identity threat cues (e.g., reminders of inequality, prejudicial attitudes, lack of ingroup members) can lower belonging, engagement, and trust, and increase expectations of discrimination (Chaney et al, 2021; Murphy et al, 2007; Sanchez et al, 2017).…”