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Abstract

Equity in education has been described in various ways by scholars, policy makers, administrators, and educators. These different definitions of equity provide different affordances and constraints for policy, research, and teaching decisions. This study explores how postsecondary STEM faculty conceptualize equity in education and how these understandings are related to their instructional practices. Using a comparative case study design, in-depth interviews were conducted with 45 faculty members from either the life sciences or the quantitative sciences at a research intensive, predominantly White, public university. Results show that faculty conceptualize equity as "equality", "inclusion", or "justice" and that these conceptions are associated with a range of teacher-centered or student-centered instructional practices. Conceptions of equity have important implications for how faculty see their roles in advancing equity in their classrooms and beyond.

Presenter Information

Tati is a Ph.D. Candidate in STEM Education at UT. She has a B.A. in cell and molecular biology from the University of Hawai'i and a M.S. in stem cell biology from San Francisco State University. She is engaged in research that examines the factors that support and hinder entrance into STEM majors and STEM degree completion at the intersection of gender and race/ethnicity. Her dissertation work explores how postsecondary faculty conceptualize equity and make sense of race and gender inequality in STEM education–– and whether and how these understandings are related to their instructional practices. Before coming to UT, she was a program director at the Center for Science and Math Education and instructional faculty in the College of Science and Engineering at San Francisco State University. She taught undergraduate courses in biology, health equity, and educational justice, co-developed biology and social justice curricula, and led professional development on evidence-based teaching practices, equity issues in STEM, and designing equitable learning environments. Her work coordinating programs that support the academic success of minoritized students in STEM motivated her to pursue scholarship in the field so that she can contribute to the national conversation on how to best support STEM students and prepare STEM educators. She was awarded the 2021 K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award by the Association of American Colleges & Universities, and the UT Graduate Continuing Fellowship.