Advancing Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEMM Organizations Beyond Broadening Participation (2023) / Chapter Skim
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5 Minoritized Individuals in STEMM: Consequences and Responses to Racial Bias and How STEMM Professionals Can Help
5 Minoritized Individuals in STEMM: Consequences and Responses to Racial Bias and How STEMM Professionals Can Help
Pages 102-153
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From page 102... ...
These include a range of cognitive, emotional, and physiological outcomes associated with experiencing racism in STEMM contexts: negative impacts of predominately White contexts, stereotype threat and social identity threat, imposter phenomenon, stigma and coping, attributional ambiguity, physical health impacts, and race-based rejection sensitivity. This section concludes with a major key finding: 5-1 Pre-Publication Copy, Uncorrected Proofs
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The chapter concludes with a discussion of ways in which STEMM professionals can redesign local STEMM environments to support minoritized individuals. These strategies center on fostering connections, emphasizing communal values, affirming kindness cues, and increasing a sense of belonging.
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. Research using social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1979; Tajfel, 1978)
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This includes sections on the negative impacts of predominantly White contexts, stereotype threat and social identity threat, imposter phenomenon, stigma and coping, attributional ambiguity, physical health impacts, and race-based rejection sensitivity. Negative Impacts of Predominantly White Contexts For minoritized individuals in STEMM, navigating classrooms and environments in which they are a clear numeric minority has measurable psychological, physiological, and behavioral effects (see Chapter 3 for a summary of issues that contribute to numeric representation)
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There are four features of predominantly White contexts that often make it difficult, if not impossible, for minoritized individuals to have these needs of belonging and dignity met in a full or satisfactory way. The first is that in such environments, there are few, if any, people who share one's identity; this results in a lack of high-status role models (Dasgupta, 2011; Griffith & Dasgupta, 2018; Sekaquaptewa et al., 2007; Thompson & Sekaquaptewa, 2002; Stout et al., 2011)
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. Stereotype Threat and Social Identity Threat Stereotype threat is situation-induced worry that arises in achievement-oriented situations when individuals feel apprehensive that their performance will be judged in ways that confirm negative stereotypes targeting their ingroup (Steele, 1997, 1998, 2011)
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. Thus, social identity threat is closely related to the imposter phenomenon, a term coined more than three decades ago (Clance & Imes, 1978)
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. Attributional Ambiguity Even when situations do not activate social identity threat specifically, they often create a feeling of uncertainty in minoritized individuals about the cause of someone else's behavior toward them, be it positive or negative (Mendes et al., 2008; Major, Feinstein & Crocker 1994; Smith & Wout 2019)
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. Mixed signals wherein minoritized individuals receive university communications that affirm commitment to diversity while simultaneously experiencing microaggressions in classroom settings may also contribute to attributional ambiguity in STEMM educational contexts (Estrada, Eroy-Reveles, & Matsui, 2018)
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RACE-BASED REJECTION SENSITIVITY Research shows not all minoritized individuals experience the same context in the same way. For example, individual differences in expectations shape how minoritized individuals 5-10 Pre-Publication Copy, Uncorrected Proofs
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Additional research studying these individual-level differences is necessary and important for better understanding the discussed range of adverse cognitive, emotional, and physiological consequences. Summary The committee wishes to highlight a key finding that emerged from the information summarized in the above sections: Minoritized individuals experience a range of adverse cognitive, emotional, and physiological consequences as a result of facing racial bias.
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. FIGURE 5-1 Minoritized individuals' responses to facing racial bias.
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These strategies are discussed next. Disidentification is one exiting strategy that minoritized individuals may use to deal with persistent social identity threat and belonging uncertainty.
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. For example, a three-year longitudinal study of African American and Hispanic/Latine undergraduate students in STEM majors showed that experiences of stereotype threat were associated with scientific disidentification, which in turn predicted a significant decline in the intention to pursue a scientific career (Woodcock et al., 2012)
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. Research shows that increased trait resilience is associated with higher levels of subjective well-being and increased optimism and life satisfaction among African Americans college students (Utsey et al., 2008)
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Codeswitching is a context-dependent impression management strategy where minoritized individuals adjust their self-presentation in predominantly White contexts to fit in and be accepted by mirroring the White majority (McCluney et al., 2021)
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. One form of codeswitching among Black individuals involves changing hairstyles or chemically altering one's natural hair to fit into the White norms and rules that define professional appearance in predominately White contexts, including STEMM (Bryant, 2013; Dawson, Karl, & Peluchette, 2019; Donahoo, 2022; Ferguson & Dougherty, 2022; Johnson & Bankhead, 2014; Opie & Phillips, 2015)
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. These pioneer organizations -- which typically work as membership societies, with dues, student chapters, and annual in-person conferences -- provide refuge, support, mentorship, professional development, and ingroup role models for emerging scholars (Martin et al., 2016; Ondrechen, 2014; Ross & McGrade, 2016)
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. Other organizations, such as LatinXinBME, have leveraged new platforms and tools such as Slack and Twitter to overcome geographical divides and isolation in predominantly White contexts.
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. Instead of advising students to change and comply with Western practices, Indigenous scholars advocate to create more integrated approaches to STEMM that emphasize the central premise of Indigenous knowledge, which is that all things are connected (Deloria, 1992)
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HOW STEMM PROFESSIONALS CAN HELP In this final section of the chapter, the committee explores specific steps that individuals might take to help promote inclusion through the design of STEMM environments. These steps are grouped into three broad categories: signal inclusion through numeric representation and spatial design of local environments; build peer relationships and community for minoritized groups; and create access to high-status relationships.
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In a way, these diverse exemplars of success act as important role models. In fact, women students' subjective identification with success stories of women engineers predicts greater self-confidence in their own ability, which in turn predicts stronger intentions to pursue careers in engineering (Stout et al., 2011)
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are powerful ways to find role models, role models may include more indirect contacts, such as with successful individuals with whom one has had only brief contact with or were connected through social media exposure (for a partial review, see Gibson, 2004)
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. Another feature of local environments that signals diversity values includes the physical design.
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One benefit of ingroup peer mentors and other peer role models derives from their relatability and shared experiences. For example, a national sample of African American undergraduates majoring in STEM disciplines found that from these students' perspectives, perceived similarity of values rather than demographic similarity was the most important factor associated with protégé perceptions of high-quality mentorship, which in turn was associated with stronger personal commitment to pursue STEM careers (Hernandez et al., 2017)
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For example, summer bridge programs that take place during the summer before college starts help first-generation students, low-income students, and students from minoritized racial 5-26 Pre-Publication Copy, Uncorrected Proofs
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. A systematic review of STEM-specific summer bridge programs found that students leave these programs with increased feelings of preparedness and belonging more in college, and they get better grades post-program (Ashley et al., 2017)
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. As with summer bridge programs, research suggests that living-learning communities are particularly beneficial for orienting students to campus resources.
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, several national reports have recommended course-based undergraduate research experiences as an important mechanism for increasing persistence and retention of students (National Academy of Sciences, 2016; PCAST, 2012)
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. Consequently, students, including minoritized students, often avoid approaching faculty members.
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. For minoritized students in STEM, mentorship enhances pursuit of researchrelated career pathways (Nagda et al., 1998; Hathaway, Nagda, Gregerman, 2002)
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; (4) being culturally responsive (being self-aware of bias, reducing impacts of stereotype threat)
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RECOMMENDATION 5-1: Leaders and gatekeepers of STEMM organizations, higher education, and human resource offices can improve minoritized people's individual and interpersonal experiences in STEMM educational and professional environments through the following practices: 1. Improve numerical diversity through the admission, hire, and inclusion of minoritized individuals at all levels of an organization: a.
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RECOMMENDATION 5-2: Leaders and gatekeepers of STEMM organizations, higher education, and human resource offices can improve minoritized people's individual and interpersonal experiences in STEMM educational and professional environments through the following practices: 1. Create and provide continued investment in evidence-based programs that connect minoritized individuals to ingroup peers, institutional resources, and professional networks.
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RECOMMENDATION 5-4: Leaders and gatekeepers of STEMM organizations, higher education, and human resource offices can improve minoritized people's individual and interpersonal experiences in STEMM educational and professional environments through the following practices: 1. Develop interpersonal environments and institutional norms that promote inclusion, dignity, belonging and affirmations of kindness: a.
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RECOMMENDATION 5-5: Leaders and gatekeepers of STEMM organizations, higher education, and human resource offices can improve minoritized people's individual and interpersonal experiences in STEMM educational and professional environments through the following practices: 1. Use evidence-based design and implementation practices to build curriculum initiatives that increase access to discovery, including, for example, course based research experiences (CRE)
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Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 45(3) , 416–43 Alkaher, I., & Dolan, E
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. The social psychology of intergroup relations: Social categorization, ingroup bias, and outgroup prejudice.
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Journal of personality and social psychology, 97(6)
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Journal of personality and social psychology, 88(2)
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Journal of personality and social psychology, 92(6)
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Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 43(2)
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Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 38(5)
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Attributional ambiguity and simultaneous memberships in multiple oppressed groups. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 33(2)
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, Advances in experimental social psychology, Vol.
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Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28(9)
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Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 43(1)
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Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34(2)
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Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28(5)
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Advances in experimental social psychology, 21, 261–302. Steele, C
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Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 45(7)
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Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(1)
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