Understanding Differences in Underrepresented Minorities and First-Generation Student Perceptions in the Introductory Biology Classroom

Jacob Jantzer; Thomas Kirkman; Katherine L Furniss

doi:10.1128/jmbe.00176-21

Understanding Differences in Underrepresented Minorities and First-Generation Student Perceptions in the Introductory Biology Classroom

J Microbiol Biol Educ. 2021 Oct 29;22(3):e00176-21. doi: 10.1128/jmbe.00176-21. eCollection 2021 Dec.

Authors

Jacob Jantzer¹, Thomas Kirkman², Katherine L Furniss³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Gender Studies, College of Saint Benedict, St Joseph, Minnesota, USA.
² Department of Physics and Astronomy, Saint John's University, Collegeville, Minnesota, USA.
³ Department of Biology Teaching and Learning, Biotechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.

Abstract

We used quantitative methods to better understand the perceptions of students in an introductory biology course (Biology 101) at a small, liberal arts college (SLAC) that is also a primarily white institution (PWI). In pre/post surveys, we asked students questions related to their attitudes and beliefs about their professor, classmates, and Biology 101. We were especially interested in the responses and outcomes of underrepresented minorities (URM) and first-generation (FG) students. Our findings suggest URM and FG students have a decreased sense of belonging and increased perceptions of exclusion and differential treatment due to race. These findings can explain, in part, the disparity in Biology 101 grade and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) attrition.

Keywords: attitude; disparities; first-generation; introductory biology; kindness cues; perception; stereotype threat; survey; underrepresented minorities.