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Date Permissions Signed
8-6-2021
Date of Award
Summer 2021
Document Type
Masters Thesis
Department or Program Affiliation
Experimental Psychology
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Lemm, Kristi M., 1971-
Second Advisor
Lehman, Barbara J.
Third Advisor
Perry, Tara
Abstract
Racial disparities in graduation rates and academic performance measurements have long existed in higher education (Bowen et al., 2009) and are even more pronounced in STEM fields (RiegleCrumb et al., 2019). Some researchers argue that students of color are experiencing a gap in opportunity due to racial hostility and exclusion both on campus and in the classroom, and interventions should focus on changing the negative environment students of color are exposed to at colleges and universities (Johnson-Ahorlu, 2012). Faculty members at Western Washington University (WWU) developed the Inclusion and Social Mindfulness in STEM (ISMs) workshop series in an effort to improve faculty and staff's understanding of equity and inclusion issues at WWU and adjust their behavior accordingly based on an acknowledgement of their own biases. Faculty and staff in the college of science and engineering were invited to participate in the ISMs workshop series that focused on cultural awareness of self, experiences of others, critical conversations in the workplace, and a call to action in the workplace. Sixty-six participants completed the pre-workshop series survey and 54 participants completed the post-workshop series survey over the three years that ISMs workshops were available. At post workshop, participants had better vocabulary around issues of equity and inclusion and higher levels of critical thinking about the way they behave and react to situations on campus. However, we found very little changes in participants' behavior and believe modifications to the ISMs workshops are necessary to improve outcomes for students of color at WWU.
Type
Text
Keywords
Opportunity Gap, Equity, Inclusion, Higher Education, Workshop, Faculty, Intervention, Racial Disparities
Publisher
Western Washington University
OCLC Number
1265045396
Subjects – Names (LCNAF)
Western Washington University
Subject – LCSH
Educational equalization--Washington (State)--Bellingham; Racial justice in education--Washington (State)--Bellingham; Teachers' workshops--Washington (State)--Bellingham; Science teachers--Training of--Washington (State)--Bellingham; Mathematics teachers--Training of--Washington (State)--Bellingham
Geographic Coverage
Bellingham (Wash.)
Format
application/pdf
Genre/Form
masters theses
Language
English
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.
Recommended Citation
Christiani, Kayla, "From the Achievement Gap to the Opportunity Gap: Increasing Accountability Among Faculty and Staff in STEM through an Inclusion and Social Mindfulness Intervention" (2021). WWU Graduate School Collection. 1057.
https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwuet/1057