Why are there so few ethnic minorities in ecology and evolutionary biology? Challenges to inclusion and the role of sense of belonging
Why are there so few ethnic minorities in ecology and evolutionary biology? Challenges to inclusion and the role of sense of belonging
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DOI：
10.1007/s11218-019-09538-x
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发表时间：
2020-02-03
影响因子：
2.9
通讯作者：
Garcia, Donna M.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
O'Brien, Laurie T.;Bart, Henry L.;Garcia, Donna M.
非裔美国人和其他少数族裔在研究生教育以及生态学和进化生物学（EEB）教授中的代表性严重不足。在本研究中，我们采用社会心理学方法来研究包容性，通过检查包容性挑战、归属感和追求 EEB 研究生教育的兴趣之间的相互关系。我们对非裔美国人 (N = 360)、拉丁裔/西班牙裔 (N = 313)、白人 (N = 709) 和亚裔/亚裔美国人 (N = 524) 科学、技术、工程和数学领域的本科生进行了调查，并使用结果来检验从我们的理论模型得出的几个相互关联的假设。与白人相比，少数族裔更有可能在融入 EEB 方面遇到挑战（例如，较少接触生态、较少同种族榜样、户外环境不适）。包容性方面的挑战与 EEB 教育背景下的归属感下降有关。最后，在 EEB 教育背景下的归属感较低与在 EEB 攻读研究生教育的兴趣较低有关。与白人相比，非洲裔美国人对 EEB 的归属感特别低。我们讨论研究结果对教育干预的影响。
African Americans and other ethnic minorities are severely underrepresented in both graduate education and among the professoriate in ecology and evolutionary biology (EEB). In the present research, we take a social psychological approach to studying inclusion by examining interrelationships among challenges to inclusion, the sense of belonging, and interest in pursuing graduate education in EEB. We conducted a survey of African American (N = 360), Latino/a/Hispanic (N = 313), White (N = 709), and Asian/Asian American (N = 524) college undergraduates majoring in science, technology, engineering, and math fields and used the results to test several interrelated hypotheses derived from our theoretical model. Compared to Whites, ethnic minorities were more likely to experience challenges to inclusion in EEB (e.g., less exposure to ecology, fewer same-race role models, discomfort in outdoor environments). Challenges to inclusion were associated with a decreased sense of belonging in EEB educational contexts. Finally, experiencing a low sense of belonging in EEB educational contexts was associated with lower interest in pursuing graduate education in EEB. Sense of belonging in EEB was especially low among African Americans relative to Whites. We discuss the implications of the study results for educational interventions.