Effects of Climate Perceptions and Harassment on the Persistence of LGBT Students and Faculty in STEM

• In Event: LGBT Inclusion in STEM: Transformative Possibilities for Teaching and Learning Research

Abstract

Student learning is impacted by many factors that construct an academic environment. In higher education such factors include the experiences and perceptions of climate and the availability of role models who share similar identities to the students. In this, it is not only important to investigate the role of climate in the persistence of students in higher education, but also faculty’s persistence. Within the literature focusing on these issues even less attention has been paid to STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) students. This paper examined how climate affects student and faculty persistence with departments.

This analysis used data from the 2010 State of Higher Education Report for LGBTQ People (Rankin, Weber, Blumenfeld, & Frazer, 2010) using Astin’s (1993) Input-Environmental-Output Model (I-E-O). The survey reached over 5,000 students, faculty and staff at institutions of higher education. The I-E-O model suggests the importance of understanding the relationships between input(s) such as the qualities, skills, identities of a population (I), the experience of the educational environment (E), such as an individual’s interactions with peers, perceptions of comfort/acceptance, harassment and the outputs (O), and the response or impact of the program, initiatives and exposure to these environments (Astin, 1993). The I-E-O Model is particularly useful as a framework for the data analysis because while a particular outcome is important to understand, it is the inclusion of the variables such as identity, and the exploration of how environmental variables such as climate and policy effect overall (outcomes) experiences.

The results of this survey found three main factors that affect the persistence of students (N=905) and faculty (N=389). Factor analysis isolated three factors, which are comfort, harassment, and disclosure of sexual identity. Using logistic regression it was found that these factors have a significant effect on faculty persistence. Being that faculty who were less comfortable, harassed, and feared disclosure of their sexual identities were more likely to consider leaving their institutions. The same trend held true for students.

The results of this analysis indicate the importance of focusing on the climate experience of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) faculty and students, particularly within STEM disciplines. Previous research has shown the importance of like-identified faculty on student retention (Carrell, Page, & West, 2009). Thus keeping faculty in our institution who are LGBQ identified may help then retain LGBQ students. Furthermore, the results show the negative climate experiences and perceptions can affect the retention of students.

Recommendation from the Best Practice Guide for LGBT+ inclusion in departments of physics could help mitigate these climate issues. These include simple changes in the classroom including making an inclusive policy known, including LGBT issues in the curriculum, and installing gender neutral bathrooms when the department has a say in building construction. Further recommendations are provided in the paper.

Authors

• Ramón Barthelemy, Western Michigan University

• Susan Rankin, The Pennsylvania State University

• Eric Vincent Patridge, oSTEM Incorporated