Queer Students' Math Identity, High School Educational Experiences, and Postsecondary STEM Enrollment

• In Event: Using Large-Scale Education Data to Advance Intersectional Policies and Practices for Queer and Trans Students

Abstract

Purpose
Oppressive learning environments create difficult experiences for queer students in high school (HS). Over 59% of queer students feel unsafe at school, resulting in more absences, lower grades, lower self-esteem, and greater likelihood of dropping out. An emerging area of research on the diversification of STEM education is that of queer student interest in STEM careers, and in particular math identity formation and experiences (e.g., Leyva, 2016; Leyva et al., 2022). To advance research concerning queer people in STEM, our study seeks to identify whether math educational experiences differ by sexual orientation. We ask the following research questions (RQ):
1. Are there differences between queer and heterosexual students’ postsecondary STEM enrollment and AP math courses taken?
2. Are there differences in math experiences (e.g., competence, performance, recognition) between queer and heterosexual students?

Theoretical Framework
We use Carlone and Johnson’s (2007) dimensions of science identity as a theoretical framework. One’s identity as a math person is conceptualized within three dimensions: competence, performance, and recognition. Competence refers to an individual’s achievement in a specific content area. Performance refers to socially acceptable ways of exhibiting one’s identity (e.g., behaving like a “mathematician”). Recognition refers to one’s self-understanding as a STEM individual, which is often shaped by others’ perceptions.

Methods & Data Sources
Using HSLS:09 data (Dalton et al., 2016) data, we compared queer and heterosexual students across math educational outcomes in HS and postsecondary at four different timepoints starting with 9th grade: 2009, 2012, 2013 (transcript reports), and 2016. For RQ1, chi-square tests of independence were used to indicate significant association between sexual orientation and the outcome (e.g., taking AP math courses in HS). For RQ2, t-tests were used to indicate significant differences by sexual orientation (e.g., math recognition, self-efficacy).

Results
Results for RQ1 (Table 1) show that queer students took significantly fewer AP math courses in high school (χ2(1)=3.917, p<.05) and were less likely to enroll in a STEM field in college compared to their heterosexual counterparts (χ2(1)=36.18, p<.001). Results for RQ2 (Table 1) show that queer students report differential treatment by 9th grade math teachers, and lower math identity, utility, and self-efficacy scores in 2012. Transcripts from 2013 show queer students receive fewer combined HS math/science credits. Finally, once in college (2015 collection), queer students report lower scores in self-identifying as a math person or others’ recognition of them as a math person.

Scholarly Significance
Little is known about queer students in STEM due to lack of data on sexual orientation in population-based education surveys. To our knowledge, this is the first nationally representative quantitative study in math with a queer sample. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by using math identity as empirical evidence of its impact on queer student STEM pursuits.

Authors

• Mario I Suárez, Utah State University
  Presenting Author

• Jason C. Garvey, University of Vermont
  Presenting Author

• Musbah Shaheen, The Ohio State University
  Presenting Author

• C. V. Dolan, University of Vermont
  Presenting Author