Collaborative Research: Chemistry Education Research through the Lens of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Conference

Southern Utah University

Investigators

Abstract

Critical modern scholarship argues that discipline-based education research (DBER), such as chemistry education research (CER), is limited in its theoretical underpinnings and focuses on deficit-based methodologies. To promote a more equitable and inclusive scientific community that embraces and supports scientists from marginalized groups, the project team will design and implement a virtual conference to bring together Chemistry Education Research (CER) scholars and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) experts from within chemistry and other fields to enhance the capacity of CER scholars to carry out research and teaching centered on DEI practices. This conference will include presentations, workshops, and share-out sessions to learn, acquire tools, and build the capacity for scholars to enact equity-centered practices in research and teaching. To address critical DEI issues permeating the chemistry education field, the virtual conference will include 1) presentations by invited DEI research experts from various STEM disciplines, 2) working sessions to explore research methods and identify future directions of DEI-focused CER, and 3) share-out sessions. Participants will reflect on their own experiences and the climate in the field. Attendees will reflect on the ethics of studying students from marginalized groups, learn about research methods that move beyond deficit-model frameworks, and identify changes to improve the climate in the field and to ensure that scholars from marginalized groups are supported. This conference will encompass three main pillars to: (1) promote chemistry education practices centered around equity principles, (2) demonstrate how DEI principles can inform chemistry education research, and (3) break down academic silos to facilitate interdisciplinary knowledge sharing and skill building. Equity is central to these issues and permeates through all three pillars. The conference organizers will utilize a community organizing framework and strategies to inform the design of conference activities that will draw community members together to build capacity to enact DEI practices within the chemistry education community and motivate action. An external evaluator will assess the success of the project and assist the project team in understanding how attendees use their learning and the supports provided by the conference to begin to break down barriers. 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.