Teaching about Inequity: Shifts in Student Views about Diversity in Physics

Abstract

In an introductory university physics course, we designed and taught an equity unit focused on the effects of race and culture on the physics community. The goals of the unit are to identify areas of subjectivity in physics, analyze statistics about who participates in physics, justify the need for racial equity in physics, describe how obstacles such as implicit bias and stereotype threat can influence who participates in physics classes and professions, and feel empowered to take action. Across two years, many students’ written reflections indicated that their views about equity in physics shifted as a result of participation in this unit. These students’ responses fell into three categories, views that: changed, gained awareness, or solidified. We see these results as encouraging for instructors who wish to shift the physics community towards actively pursuing social justice by explicitly addressing equity in physics courses.