Changing Social Contexts to Foster Equity in College Science Courses: AnEcological-Belonging Intervention

In diverse classrooms, stereotypes are often “in the air,” which can interferewith learning and performance among stigmatized students. Two studies designed to foster equity incollege science classrooms (Ns = 1,215 and 607) tested an intervention to establishsocial norms that make stereotypes irrelevant in the classroom. At the beginning of the term,classrooms assigned to an ecological-belonging intervention engaged in discussion with peers aroundthe message that social and academic adversity is normative and that students generally overcomesuch adversity. Compared with business-as-usual controls, intervention students had higherattendance, course grades, and 1-year college persistence. The intervention was especially impactfulamong historically underperforming students, as it improved course grades for ethnic minorities inintroductory biology and for women in introductory physics. Regardless of demographics, attendancein the intervention classroom predicted higher cumulative grade point averages 2 to 4 years later.The results illustrate the viability of an ecological approach to fostering equity and unlockingstudent potential.