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

该项目探讨了如何更准确的课程性别的多样性发现跨物种，性别决定的环境中的作用，以及性和性别之间的复杂关系可以创造一个更具包容性的环境，为变性，非二元和性别不符合（TNG）学生在本科生物课程。研究表明，生物学课程往往不准确地将性和性别归类为二元的，而不是强调生物体在性、性别和取向方面的策略和经验的多样性。将性和性别过度简单化为二元类别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，性和性别主题在生物课程中的表现方式影响了过渡时期国民教育学生的归属感和对生物的兴趣。了解TNG学生的经验与生物内容将支持干预措施和课程的设计，包括TNG和阴阳人学生。该项目还将帮助所有生物学学生发展对性和性别的包容性和科学准确的理解。 最后，这项工作将积极影响所有生物学专业的职业能力，他们需要技能和知识与不同的患者，利益相关者和团队合作。 由主叙事理论的指导下，这个项目的目标是：1）探索性和性别是如何目前在本科生物学内容的代表，2）描述这个内容对课堂气氛和归属感的影响TNG学生，和3）表征生物教师目前的努力，创造一个更具包容性的气候TNG学生。大师叙事理论破译如何在文化环境中的信息变得内化，并影响个人身份的发展。样本将包括具有不同种族/民族和社会身份的TNG学生沿着从各种机构招募的生物学教师。收集的数据将包括参与者访谈（记录和转录）、参与者基线人口统计调查、课程观察（例如，视频记录），和过程人工制品（例如，课程计划、评估问题）。本研究将以女性主义现象学、质性内容分析、文献分析等方法来分析资料。该项目的预期成果包括：（a）确定生物学内容中可能影响过渡国民政府学生归属感和影响所有生物学专业学生职业能力的方面，（B）描述在教师试图创建更具包容性和更准确的与性和性别有关的生物学课程时可能帮助或阻碍教师的因素，以及（c）编制专业发展材料，以支持教师围绕与性和性别有关的生物学主题设计课程。该项目由NSF的EHR核心研究（ECR）计划支持。ECR计划强调基础STEM教育研究，产生该领域的基础知识。投资是在关键领域是必不可少的，广泛的和持久的：干学习和干学习环境，扩大参与干，干劳动力发展。该计划支持积累强有力的证据，为理解、建立理论解释和建议干预和创新以解决持续性问题提供信息。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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.