Teaching Transgressive Representations of LGBTQ People in Educator Preparation: Is Conformity Required for Inclusion?

Abstract

One strategy used to teach about diverse populations is to edit their -curricular representations to minimize their transgressive nature in an effort to gain more acceptance among students. This article explores the implications of these -assimilationist narratives when used in educator preparation programs to -represent LGBTQ people. It examines the potential advantages of teaching more diverse and transgressive representations in the interest of inclusion and educator -preparation.     

A Test of the Infusion Method

ABSTRACT

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine whether the infusion method of teaching social work students about populations at risk is an effective educational strategy.

Method: Participant MSW students were given pretests and posttests of the Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gays Scale at the beginning and end of the semester in which the infusion method of teaching about vulnerable populations including gay men was used in a required course on psychodynamic developmental theories.

Results: Students' homophobic and antigay attitudes were lowered to a statistically significant degree.

Discussion: All of the significant change occurred in the section with students whose mean pretest scores were in the mid range of the total group. Neither the sections with the highest or lowest mean score were affected. This illustrates the challenges of influencing firmly held values yet suggests that the values of those less decided can be influenced by this teaching method.     

Small fish in a small pond: the impact of collaborative learning on academic success for less-prepared students in a highly selective STEM environment

ABSTRACT

This study examines academic outcomes for university students engaged in a supplemental peer learning program in a selective institution. Using a matched sample of 1266 students, half enrolled in the supplemental program and half not enrolled, we find that participating students on average earned higher grades in linked courses. Using a subsample of students in a chemistry course sequence, we find program participants were more likely to remain in the sequence than non-participants, and that the impact was greater for students with lower levels of preparation.     

Indigenous learners: what university educators need to know

Abstract

Canadian citizens of Indigenous ancestry have statistically lower than national averages with respect to secondary and postsecondary completion rates. In an attempt to understand and assist Indigenous university students in Ontario, the purpose of the study was to identify teaching and learning strategies and support systems for Indigenous students that will result in increased academic success and retention among Indigenous youth and adults attending university. The results were summarised in an introductory handbook for faculty and staff at Nipissing University, a destination of choice for many Indigenous students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees. The specific purpose of the handbook was to provide an introduction to the diversity of cultures and their related perspectives amongst our Indigenous students. The literature and the results provide specific pathways for educators to begin to decolonise their pedagogy to support success for Indigenous university learners.     

University faculty attitudes and knowledge about learning disabilities

ABSTRACT

Adults with learning disabilities (LD) constitute one of the fastest growing populations of students attending institutions of higher education. Faculty members play an important role in the adjustment and success of these students. The current study investigated the perceptions towards LD of faculty members at a public university in Israel. Specifically, the study examined the level of contact, attitudes, knowledge, and training of faculty members with respect to students with LD. The results demonstrated that faculty members overall had a significant amount of contact with and held positive attitudes towards students with LD. However, it appeared that faculty members would benefit from information regarding the current definition of LD, related legislation about LD and other disabilities, and training and support services for LD. Implications for practice and further research are discussed.     

Vicarious Education,Dialogue Education and Self-Efficacy among Indian Female Students in a Diversity Management Course

Abstract

Teaching, learning and assessment methods for teaching students about diversity should be transformative and achieve lasting changes in students’ attitudes and behaviours towards diverse individuals. Therefore, dialogue education in the teaching and learning of an undergraduate course in diversity management at a higher education institution was considered as an alternative to existing practices. This article reports on a mixed method study that was conducted to gather data from students over a period of three years. The results of the study indicated that the majority of students did well with the dialogue approach to education except for a small underrepresented group of Indian females: they experienced low levels of self-efficacy in class discussions and presentations, thereby preventing them from benefitting from the educational opportunity offered.     

“The student drives the car,right?”: trans students and narratives of decision-making in schools

Abstract

With growing awareness of the negative school experiences of trans students, more schools in North America are working to support such students and create more inclusive educational environments. This paper analyses how 60 educators in British Columbia, Canada talked about the involvement of trans students in decision-making processes at their school. It focuses on a prominent narrative, the ‘student in charge’ narrative, which suggests that educators should follow the lead of the young trans person to best support them. By centering the expertise of trans student, this narrative has the potential to disrupt cisnormativity in schools and traditional understandings of youth as unreliable. However, educators have also to negotiate dominant discourses about undue adult influence, young age, safety and gender fluidity that tend to undermine their initial commitment to young trans people’s self-determination. This paper analyses the effects of these contradictions on how educators respond to demands for recognition by trans students, and discusses the limits of student-led change. It concludes by arguing for more systemic changes that do not require the presence of trans bodies and instead offer possibilities for educational spaces in which all students would experience fewer pressures of gender and sexual conformity.     

Design-based research to broaden participation in pre-college engineering: research and practice of an interest-based engineering challenges framework

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a design-based research project undertaken to test and implement an interest-based engineering challenges framework for pre-college students. This work is motivated by the need for innovative engineering education practices in pre-college settings, and making engineering more inclusive for people from diverse backgrounds. The design-based research methodology can be challenging to implement as it comprises of multiple, cyclical research activities that provide challenges in documenting and communicating the larger study’s progress. This paper presents findings from this continuously evolving study, and also the design and implementation of this design-based research at roughly the halfway point for a four-year study. Each of the consequent versions scaffold to answer the broader research questions of the study pertaining to: engineering appealing to students’ personal interests, empowering underrepresented groups to find meaningful connections to engineering, leading more authentic engagement in engineering and design practices, and improving students’ attitudes and perception of engineering.     

Learning About Posterior Probability: Do Diagrams and Elaborative Interrogation Help?

To learn from a text, students must make meaningful connections among related ideas in that text. This study examined the effectiveness of two methods of improving connections—elaborative interrogation and diagrams—in written lessons about posterior probability. Undergraduate students (N = 198) read a lesson in one of three questioning conditions (read twice, embedded questioning, and elaborative interrogation) and one of three diagram conditions (text only, diagram without redundant text, and diagram with redundant text). Elaborative interrogation negatively affected learning from the lesson, relative to reading the lesson twice. One possible explanation for this finding is that the quality of answers to the elaborative interrogations was poor. When the lesson was read twice, diagrams helped learning from the lesson relative to text only. Implications of these findings for instruction in probabilistic reasoning are discussed.     

Self-efficacy and the recognition of prior learning

Abstract

Recognition of prior learning (RPL) is a relatively new concept in South Africa, which has been introduced as a mechanism grounded in the educational transformational policies of the African National Congress (ANC) to redress the historical legacy of apartheid. This paper attempts to determine the impact of the RPL outcomes of a module on the self-efficacy of in-service educators involved in a BEd (upgrade) programme. The methodology included the gathering of quantitative and qualitative data through the administering of pre- and post-intervention self-efficacy questionnaires and focus-group interviews. Other foci were the biographical background of the students and the portfolios of evidence they produced during the course of the module. The data generated reveal a statistically significant improvement in the participating students’ self-efficacy over the course of the module, but draw attention to the negative impact of context in previously disadvantaged South African schools. The significance of this research lies not only in the interrogation of an innovative approach to dealing with RPL issues in an academic programme, as well as its possible influence on teacher self-efficacy, but also in its contribution to the academic debate about the RPL process currently taking place both locally and internationally.     

Beyond Diversity and Inclusion: Creating a Social Justice Agenda in the Classroom

ABSTRACT

A social justice classroom agenda relies on the ability of educators to create a space free from microaggressions that can be strengthened through an approach of cultural humility. Utilizing Bonnycastle’s social justice continuum, this article explores how to create a classroom grounded in social equality and guided by social work values to foster participation from students across all social identities.     

“I am more than just a coloured woman”–Narrating undergraduate experiences at a historically white South African university

Abstract

Transformation of South Africa's HWIs is evidenced by a diversification of their student and staff populations. The transition from exclusion to inclusion of black minority student populations and their cultures on to these university campuses has not been without challenge for those accessing these institutions. This article reports on a study that was conducted at Stellenbosch University about the experiences of five black women undergraduate students at this still predominantly white Afrikaans university. The findings show that despite legislated pressure and institutional policy initiatives to transform, these “Coloured” undergraduate students do not experience the university environment as inclusive. What emerged were a prevailing awareness of otherness and an acute awareness of their minority status. The small numbers of minority students, together with a lack of symbols or icons that reflect and acknowledge the presence of diverse cultures exacerbate the feeling of being in the minority or a ‘tolerated otherness”. They experience SU as a university typified by a culture and practices that cling to traditions that are not always sensitive to the impact of history or diversity. This type of organisational culture in which covert and overt resistance to transformation is the norm, hampers the political will to move from policy to practice, and entrench the experience of marginalization.     

The Case of One Child: Making the shift from personal knowledge to professionally informed practice

The present paper examines shifts in preservice students' understandings about teaching and learning as a consequence of developing a case study of an elementary-aged child. Data for this paper were gathered from 18 preservice students and included (a) admission statements, (b) responses to open-ended questions, with accompanying illustrations, regarding students' learning trajectory in relation to the child they studied, and (c) responses to a survey that asked students to contrast what they felt they understood at the end of the term as compared with what they thought they knew at the start of the term. In addition, six of the 18 students volunteered to participate in a more in-depth follow-up that involved a short interview. The present paper represents a preliminary exploration and begins with a discussion of the assumptions and theoretical framework guiding the analysis. Data are then presented and examined, after which the paper concludes with some recommendations for teacher educators.     

“Sometimes You Feel Invisible”: Performing Queer/Disabled in the University Classroom

Abstract

This qualitative study explored the classroom experiences of 25 LGBTQ students with disabilities at a research-intensive university. Drawing on critical/postmodern epistemologies and concepts from both queer theory and disability studies, this -article details students’ experiences in the university classroom related to their multiple, intersecting social identities. Students in the study described processes of disclosing identities in classes, managing perceptions of professors and peers, and experiencing and processing microaggressions.     

The role of perceived support and local culture in undergraduate research mentoring by underrepresented minority faculty members: findings from a multi-institutional research collaboration

ABSTRACT

Undergraduate research is value-added experiential learning that cultivates creative and intentional learners in and out of the classroom. However, only recently have researchers begun investigating the mechanisms related to mentoring undergraduate researchers, with scant attention being paid to the experiences of underrepresented minority (URM) faculty members. Using unique data collected from an online survey of faculty members (overall N = 215, URM n = 25), we find departmental and institutional support to be the key factors correlated with mentoring undergraduate research students. Reported support is more influential for URM faculty than white faculty, providing evidence of the importance of institutional policy as a mechanism to facilitate URM faculty participation in the high impact practice of mentoring undergraduate researchers. The findings are discussed in the context of institutional initiatives designed to support student and faculty success in the 21st century.     

Meet Them Where They Are: An Outreach Model to Address University Counseling Center Disparities

ABSTRACT

Although University Counseling Centers continue to report increased rates of served students, those who hold marginalized identities continue to be underrepresented. Many factors may contribute to such discrepancies, including stigma, access, and trust in providers. College students across the nation have recently called for an increase in the number of professionals who identify as racially/ethnically diverse. The current article reviews one university’s response to their own students’ call for action, and particularly explores how the program was implemented and its associated costs and benefits. Considerations for other university administrators seeking to employ similar methods are discussed.     

An exploration of the use of disruption as a pedagogic intervention

This article describes a journey of exploration in which I take a hitherto unexamined aspect of my teaching practice, the use of disruption, and subject it to interrogation. The journey is an exercise in auto‐ethnographic research in that I am my own subject, located within the context of the classroom. My purpose is to surface the beliefs that underpin this pedagogic strategy and to locate it within theories of teaching and learning in higher education, so that that which is known but not yet thought becomes available for reflection and challenge. The article is structured in such a way as to trace the thought processes that shaped the direction of the journey; it follows a logic dictated by the heuristics of recognition and association. Throughout the journey I draw on students’ reflective reports to illustrate my conclusions that disruption is a metaphorical strategy that uses associative logic to promote transformations in students’ underlying belief systems and is an artefact of a relativist ontology. It assumes a political stance about the challenging of power relationships and of collusion. I conclude by identifying some ethical issues that are raised by this teaching strategy. I highlight the importance of a relationship of trust between teacher and student that is based on a shared commitment to each other’s potentiality.     

CS1: how will they do? How can we help? A decade of research and practice

ABSTRACT

Background and Context: Computer Science attrition rates (in the western world) are very concerning, with a large number of students failing to progress each year. It is well acknowledged that a significant factor of this attrition, is the students’ difficulty to master the introductory programming module, often referred to as CS1.

Objective: The objective of this article is to describe the evolution of a prediction model named PreSS (Predict Student Success) over a 13-year period (2005–2018).

Method: This article ties together, the PreSS prediction model; pilot studies; a longitudinal, multi-institutional re-validation and replication study; improvements to the model since its inception; and interventions to reduce attrition rates.

Findings: The outcome of this body of work is an end-to-end real-time web-based tool (PreSS#), which can predict student success early in an introductory programming module (CS1), with an accuracy of 71%. This tool is enhanced with interventions that were developed in conjunction with PreSS#, which improved student performance in CS1.

Implications: This work contributes significantly to the computer science education (CSEd) community and the ITiCSE 2015 working group’s call (in particular the second grand challenge), by re-validating and developing further the original PreSS model, 13 years after it was developed, on a modern, disparate, multi-institutional data set.     

Inquiry in Higher Education: Reflections and Directions on Course Design and Teaching Methods

Our 5-year experiment with teaching and evaluating an inquiry course has led us to conclude that inquiry is a potent pedagogical tool in higher education, encouraging students to become self-directed and engaged learners. This article offers key ingredients and procedures for designing an inquiry-based course. It provides a pragmatic model of inquiry that describes the structure and function of such a course and the goals and learning objectives for students. This model of inquiry is widely applicable and will help faculty members from a variety of disciplines develop an innovative way of engaging and teaching students. Christopher Justice, Ph.D., is an anthropologist and health social scientist, and is an associate of the Centre for Leadership in Learning.e-mail: justice@mcmaster.ca James Rice, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus in the School of Social Work.e-mail: ricejame@mcmaster.ca Wayne Warry, Ph.D., is Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology. His interests include aboriginal issues, aboriginal health and health systems evaluation, and educational research.e-mail: warrywa@mcmaster.ca Sue Inglis, Ph.D., is Professor in the Department of Kinesiology. Her interests include organizational behaviour and student inquiry.e-mail: ingliss@mcmaster.ca Stefania Miller, Ph.D., is Associate Professor, Department of Political Science. Her interests include international human rights and democratization in post-communist systems.e-mail: millers@mcmaster.ca Sheila Sammon, M.A., is Associate Professor, School of Social Work. Her interests include social work education and the integration of theory and practice.e-mail: sammon@mcmaster.ca