More Than Pedagogy: Centering Student Experiences in Culturally Responsive STEM Gateway Courses

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 11:45 am - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Roundtable Session 2: Student Learning and Development in College and Beyond

Abstract

This qualitative case study investigates how minoritized students in STEM experience learning in culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP)-informed STEM classrooms at a research university. Drawing on CRP and Illeris’ Theory of Learning, the study explores how those classes shape students’ engagement with STEM content, their self-perceptions as learners, and their experiences of classroom relationships. Interviews, observations, and course materials reveal how CRP transforms their experience with STEM learning by fostering confidence, connection, and active participation. Rather than adapting to traditional norms, students co-construct humanizing learning environments that challenge exclusionary narratives and expand what it means to succeed and to persist in the STEM pathway.

Author

• Alice Eunjung Lee, University of Texas - El Paso