At the start of this project, 40 Biology faculty from six different institutions took part in in-depth interviews with our post-doctoral fellow Dr. Melo Yap. This initial phase of the project was aimed at addressing our first research question:
Research Question 1: What are the social psychological sources of resistance to the diversity-enhancing utility value intervention and how do such reactions influence biology faculty’s implementation intentions?
Each interview was transcribed and submitted to inductive qualitative coding using NVivo coding software. The qualitatively coded themes that emerged from these 40 interviews paved the way for understanding major sources of concerns among faculty regarding their teaching practices – specifically with respect to using an evidence-based classroom assignment called the Utility-Value Intervention. In particular, these inductive codes we aligned with the hypothesized diversity interventions—resistance to action that was specifically tailored for situations of faculty considering how – and if – they will play a role in addressing underrepresentation in the biological sciences (Figure 1). Results of this phase and an extensive summary of our diversity intervention resistance to action model are published in CBE – Life Science Education.
Thoman, D.B., Yap, M.J., Herrera, F.A., & Smith. J.L. (2021). Diversity interventions in the classroom: From resistance to action. CBE Life Science Education 20:52, 1-15. doi:10.1187/cbe.20-07-0143
