How Do Faculty Beliefs Relate to Gender, Racial, and First-Gen Representation Across Academic Disciplines?

• In Event: Diverse Methodological Approaches to Exploring Student and Teacher Motivation

Abstract

Gender, racial/ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities pervade academia. Though there are many well-established reasons for these gaps, recent research has begun to examine how faculty beliefs contribute to representation outcomes for groups stereotyped as lacking intelligence. Extending prior research and using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach, the present study investigates how field-specific ability beliefs (beliefs about the importance of brilliance) and fixed mindsets (beliefs about the immutability of intelligence) relate to the representation of women, racial/ethnic minorities, and first generation students at various levels of academia. Quantitative results indicate that these beliefs play an important role in representation outcomes, but qualitative findings from student focus groups indicate that faculty beliefs may not be the primary causal mechanism.

Authors

• Luke D. Rutten, University of Texas at Austin
  Presenting Author

• Franchesca Maria Lyra, University of Texas at Austin
  Non-Presenting Author

• Allison Zengilowski, Lehigh University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Nathaniel Woznicki, New York University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Katherine M. Muenks, University of Texas at Austin
  Non-Presenting Author