Collaborative Research: Increasing Inclusion and Equity of Minoritized STEM Faculty: Examining the Role of Epistemic Exclusion in Scholar(ly) Evaluation Practices

这项拟议的项目调查了认知排斥--一种学术贬值形式--是否以及如何成为STEM充分纳入和参与女性教职员工和有色人种教职员工的障碍。当定义STEM学术价值的学科偏见与关于个人基于其社会身份的生产力和承诺的负面刻板印象一起产生不公平的评估过程时，就会发生认知排斥。由于许多教师职业生涯的结果(如招聘、终身教职、晋升和领导机会)是由研究生产率指标决定的，因此研究评估偏差可能会影响STEM研究职业生涯的兴趣、保留和成功。将学术工作作为贬值场所的重点，延伸了在STEM教育和研究背景下关于人际排斥形式(例如，社会排斥)的先前工作。研究将：1)检验STEM教师的认知排斥水平是否因学者的身份和职业阶段而异；2)确定认知排斥的经历如何影响STEM教师的职业生涯；3)检验认知排斥的后果如何取决于STEM学者的身份和职业阶段。该项目将对美国全国范围内R1和R2大学的1800名终身教职跟踪STEM教师进行调查，并对调查的子样本进行重点小组调查。焦点小组将探索认知排斥是如何按职业阶段(早期、中期、高级)独特地经历、理解和影响的。这项工作建立在开发和验证教师认知排斥(FEE)量表的研究团队之前的工作基础上。这项研究将做出重大的学术贡献，包括为对STEM教育和研究环境中的公平和包容性问题感兴趣的研究人员探索一个新的研究领域。该项目得到了NSF的EHR核心研究(ECR)计划的支持。ECR计划强调基础STEM教育研究，以产生该领域的基础知识。在基本、广泛和持久的关键领域进行投资：STEM学习和STEM学习环境，扩大STEM的参与，以及STEM劳动力发展。该计划支持积累强有力的证据，为理解、构建理论以解释并建议干预和创新以应对教育中持续存在的挑战的努力提供信息。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The proposed project examines whether and how epistemic exclusion, a form of scholarly devaluation, is a barrier to the full inclusion and participation of women faculty and faculty of color in STEM. Epistemic exclusion occurs when disciplinary biases defining what STEM scholarship is valued are coupled with negative stereotypes about productivity and commitment of individuals based on their social identities to produce unfair evaluation processes. Because many faculty career outcomes (such as hiring, tenure, promotion, and leadership opportunities) are determined by research productivity metrics, research evaluation biases can impact interest, retention, and success in STEM research careers. The focus on scholarly work as a site of devaluation extends prior work on interpersonal forms of exclusion (e.g., social exclusion) in STEM education and research contexts. This knowledge is important for informing the development of individual and systemic level interventions to broaden participation in STEM.The study will: 1) examine whether the level of epistemic exclusion among STEM faculty varies depending on scholars’ identities and career stage; 2) determine how experiences of epistemic exclusion affect STEM faculty careers; and 3) examine how consequences of epistemic exclusion vary depending on STEM scholars’ identities and career stage. This project will survey of 1800 tenure track STEM faculty at U.S. R1 and R2 universities nationally and hold focus groups of a subsample surveyed. The focus groups will explore how epistemic exclusion is uniquely experienced, understood, and impactful by career stage (early, mid, senior). This work builds on prior work by the research team that developed and validated the Faculty Epistemic Exclusion (FEE) Scale. This research will make significant intellectual contributions including the exploration of a new area of study for researchers interested in issues of fairness and inclusion in STEM education and research environments. This project is supported by NSF's EHR Core Research (ECR) program. The ECR program emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that generates foundational knowledge in the field. Investments are made in critical areas that are essential, broad, and enduring: STEM learning and STEM learning environments, broadening participation in STEM, and STEM workforce development. The program supports the accumulation of robust evidence to inform efforts to understand, build theory to explain, and suggest intervention and innovations to address persistent challenges in education.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.