Unintended consequences: How science professors discourage women of color

Abstract

This study examined how 16 Black, Latina, and American Indian women science students reacted to their undergraduate science classes. I focused on the meanings they made of the common features of university science documented by Seymour and Hewitt (1997), including large, competitive, fast-paced classes, poor teaching, and an unsupportive culture. I also explored their responses to the values manifested in their science classes and laboratories. The research took place at a large, predominantly White research university; participants were recruited from a science enrichment program for high-achieving students. I interviewed the participants and attended science classes and laboratories with them. I analyzed the data using J. Spradley's semantic structural analysis method (1979, 1980) and validated it through triangulation and member-checking. The women in the study found three features of science classes particularly discouraging: the size of the lecture classes, asking and answering questions in class, and (in some cases) engaging in undergraduate research. They were negatively impacted by two cultural values: a narrow focus on decontextualized science and the construction of science as a gender-, ethnicityand race-neutral meritocracy.

A Developmental Model of Research Mentoring

“…Mentors who are proficient in their roles as advisors can help students succeed in their higher education journeys. On the other hand, mentors who are not proficient in their roles may discourage undergraduates from continuing in the field: one bad research experience with a faculty mentor can discourage an undergraduate from pursuing graduate study (Jiang and Loui 2012;Johnson 2007a). Part of being proficient in their roles and matching mentor support to students' needs is inviting and providing feedback on the mentoring relationship.…”

Cultural Competence in the College Biology Classroom

“…More recently, a research study entitled Unintended Consequences: How Science Professors Discourage Women of Color by Johnson (2007) studied the experiences of 16 black, Latina, and American Indian women in undergraduate science classes in a large, predominantly white research university. In a time period where such great strides have been made for women in the biological sciences, this article is of specific interest, because the gains for women in biology have largely been for white and Asian women.…”

“…In a time period where such great strides have been made for women in the biological sciences, this article is of specific interest, because the gains for women in biology have largely been for white and Asian women. Johnson (2007) found two cultural values commonly assumed and presented by science professors that negatively impacted women of color studying in the sciences: 1) a narrow focus on science that is decontextualized; and 2) science as a meritocracy that is neutral to race, ethnicity, and gender. The first of these issues, the decontextualization of science, is not uncommon in college and university classrooms.…”

Pedagogical sensemaking or “doing school”: In well-designed workshop sessions, facilitation makes the difference

“…Similarly, growing evidence suggests that the use of RBIS can increase opportunities for all people to participate and thrive in STEM [3][4][5], although more work is needed to understand what strategies are most likely to increase equity in the classroom [6][7][8][9][10][11]. Faculty are centrally positioned within this landscape: they can shape their students' experiences, they can play a significant role in advocating for change within their institutions [12][13][14], and they have access to valuable knowledge about their local contexts.…”