Collaborative Research: A qualitative inquiry into sex/gender narratives in undergraduate biology and their impacts on transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming students

这个项目考察了一个更准确的课程，关于跨物种的性别多样性，环境在性别决定中的作用，以及性别和性别之间的复杂关系，如何为本科生物学课程中的跨性别、非二元和性别不一致(TNG)学生创造一个更具包容性的环境。研究表明，生物学课程并没有强调生物体对性、性别和取向的策略和经验的多样性，而是经常错误地将性和性别归类为二元。将性别和性别过于简单化为二元分类，可能会使生物课堂对TNG学生特别具有挑战性。早期的数据表明，生物课程中性和性别主题的呈现方式影响了TNG学生对生物的归属感和兴趣。了解TNG学生在生物学内容方面的经验将有助于设计包括TNG学生和双性学生在内的干预措施和课程。这个项目还将帮助所有生物学生发展包容和科学准确的性行为和性别理解。最后，这项工作将对所有需要技能和知识来与不同患者、利益相关者和团队合作的生物专业学生的职业能力产生积极影响。在大师叙事理论的指导下，这个项目的目标是：1)探索性和性别目前如何在本科生物学内容中表现出来；2)描述这些内容对TNG学生的课堂气氛和归属感的影响；3)描述生物教师目前为TNG学生创造更具包容性的气氛所做的努力。大师叙事理论解释了文化环境中的信息如何内化并影响个人身份的发展。样本将包括具有不同种族/族裔和社会身份的TNG学生以及从各种机构招聘的生物教师。收集的数据将包括参与者访谈(记录和转录)、参与者基线人口调查、课程观察(例如，录像)和课程人工制品(例如，教案、评估问题)。本文将运用女性主义现象学、定性内容分析和文献分析等方法对数据进行分析。该项目的预期成果包括：(A)确定生物学内容中可能影响TNG学生归属感和影响所有生物专业学生职业能力的方面；(B)描述教师在试图创建与性别和性别有关的更全面和准确的生物课程时可能帮助或阻碍他们的因素；以及(C)创建专业发展材料，以支持围绕与性和性别有关的生物主题设计课程的教师。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来解决持续存在的问题提供信息。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。

This project examines how a more accurate curriculum about the diversity of sexes found across species, the role of the environment in sex determination, and the complex relationship between sex and gender can create a more inclusive environment for transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming (TNG) students in undergraduate biology courses. Research indicates that rather than emphasizing the diversity of strategies and experiences that organisms have around sex, gender, and orientation, biology courses often inaccurately categorize sex and gender as binary. The oversimplification of sex and gender into binary categories can make biology classrooms particularly challenging for TNG students. Early data suggest that how sex and gender topics are represented in the biology curriculum impacts TNG students’ sense of belonging and interest in biology. Understanding TNG students’ experiences with biology content will support the design of interventions and curriculum inclusive of both TNG and intersex students. This project will also help all biology students develop inclusive and scientifically accurate understandings of sex and gender. Finally, this work will positively impact the career competencies of all biology majors who will need skills and knowledge to work with diverse patients, stakeholders, and teams. Guided by master narrative theory, the goals of this project are to: 1) explore how sex and gender are currently represented in the undergraduate biology content, 2) describe the impact this content has on classroom climate and belonging for TNG students, and 3) characterize the current efforts of biology instructors to create a more inclusive climate for TNG students. Master narrative theory deciphers how messages in the cultural environment become internalized and impact the development of personal identity. The sample will include TNG students with diverse racial/ethnic and social identities along with biology instructors recruited from a variety of institutions. Data collected will include participant interviews (recorded and transcribed), participant baseline demographic surveys, course observations (e.g., video recordings), and course artifacts (e.g., lesson plan, assessment questions). Feminist phenomenology, qualitative content analysis, and document analysis will be used to analyze the data. The anticipated outcomes of this project include (a) identifying aspects of biology content that could influence the sense of belonging of TNG students and impact the career competency of all biology majors, (b) describing factors that can help or hinder instructors as they try to create more inclusive and accurate biology curricula related to sex and gender, and (c) creating professional development materials to support instructors who design lessons around biology topics related to sex and gender. 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.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.