Evidence-based Transformation of Undergraduate Field Schools to Promote Safety and Inclusivity

Southern Illinois University At Edwardsville, Edwardsville IL

Investigators

Abstract

This project aims to serve the national interest by creating safe and inclusive learning environments. Specifically, the project aims to begin a transformation in the way archaeological field school directors implement policies and procedures. Undergraduate education for students who plan to become archaeologists often requires a four- to eight-week field-based learning course, referred to as a field school. Studies have suggested that field-based learning environments can make students susceptible to sexual harassment and related unwelcome behaviors. Undergraduate students who have such experiences may face negative consequences that can derail academic progress, possibly even causing them to leave their chosen field of study or drop out of college. Through this project, the research team will identify and document field school policies, procedures, and structures that promote safe learning environments for undergraduate students pursuing careers in archaeology. The project team will document practical steps that directors of field schools can take to prevent harassment and assault and, by extension, help retain students in the field, ensuring a more diverse workforce in archaeology and other field-based sciences. The research team will conduct this work in three phases. Phase 1 will consist of a landscape analysis to document current sexual harassment and assault policies, procedures, and structures that field directors implement. The research team will use the results to select a sample of eight field schools as case studies for Phase 2. Phase 2 will focus on understanding how sexual harassment and assault policies, procedures, and structures are implemented and will gather students' perceptions of safety, and their identity and self-efficacy as an archaeologist in the context of these implementations. The Phase 2 results will allow the project team to identify practices and structures that hold promise for eliminating harassment and assault at field schools. During Phase 3, the research will provide supports to field directors to implement modifications within the sample of case study field schools and evaluate the efficacy of the modified approaches. The final product of this research will be a set of evidence-based practices designed to prevent sexual harassment, assault, and violence at field schools. The research will explore mechanisms field directors can implement to structure learning environments that are free of sexual harassment and assault, helping undergraduate students achieve their full potential to learn. This research will provide foundational data to begin building theory and models to support all undergraduate students to safely engage in field-based research courses. This project is funded by the NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education Program: Education and Human Resources, which supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. It is funded in the Institutional and Community Transformation track that supports efforts to transform and improve STEM education across institutions of higher education and disciplinary communities. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.