Poster #28 - A Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Audit of a Two-Decade National Research Project

• In Event: Poster Session 03

Abstract

Syed et al. (2018) demonstrated that racial/ethnic minority scholars, editors, and participants have been almost “invisible” in the field of developmental psychology. The purpose of the present study was to conduct a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) audit of the [blinded] project that could provide a helpful example for other scholars in the field and promote DEI in academia. Three key questions adapted from Syed et al. (2018) on the invisibility of minorities in research helped guide our audit: the vantage points represented (by the scholars), the types of questions that have been valued, and the voices that are heard and those that are missing. We additionally integrated Totenhagen et al.’s (2022) eight “isms” (e.g., racism, ableism). We evaluated the [blinded] project’s (a) products, (b) research team, and (c) samples. The compilation of data for this audit/inventory was performed by a graduate student in conjunction with the primary investigators to enable both etic and emic perspectives.

The [blinded] project has published 130 scholarly publications that primarily focus on parenting, religious family processes, and youth religious development. In total, 93 articles have been published in 36 different journals associated with 13 different disciplines/fields (e.g., developmental psychology, family studies). Of the 130 total scholarly publications, half (i.e., 65) were lead-authored by individuals other than the primary investigators, and 62 (48%) included a female author/co-author. Of the 31 empirical journal articles that focused on a specific religious-ethnic community (e.g., only Muslims), 27 (87%) included religion-specific etic and emic perspectives among the authors. Products to support outreach and include diverse audiences included more than 40 additional articles published in more than 10 different online publications intended for general audiences. In addition, the project has produced podcasts, “audio articles” (readings of various articles), and YouTube videos. Additionally, they have hired an Outreach Director who helps in outreach efforts.

We conducted a Qualtrics survey of [blinded] authors and interviewers. Of the 89 authors/co-authors and 18 interviewers, 43 completed the survey. Members of the research team came from seven of the eight socio-religious regions of the United States (Silk & Wash, 2011). A little over half (24/43) were men. All were cisgender and almost all were heterosexual (41/43), with one identifying as lesbian and one as bisexual. The majority were married (33/43) and had children (29/43). A notable minority (8/43) reported having a disability. The majority were White Non-Hispanic (38/43), with two being Black or African American, one Hispanic, one Arabian, and one Asian. Most were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (i.e., 32/43) with four being Born-again/Evangelical Christian, two Catholic, one Agnostic, one Orthodox Christian, one Muslim, and one Jewish. There were more students (21/43) than there were professors (18/43).

The sample was collected from 1995- 2020 in five phases. Each phase sought to improve DEI from the previous phase, including focusing on families with disabilities and oversampling racial/ethnic, religious, and sexual minorities. Future phases of the project intend to improve by oversampling gender minorities and increasing DEI in the research team.

Authors

• David Dollahite, Brigham Young University
  Presenting Author

• Justin Hendricks, Brigham Young University

• Loren Marks, Brigham Young University