Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in STEM Education for Underrepresented Groups

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@article{1704389,
      author = {Shaila Sheelavant},
      title = {Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in STEM Education for Underrepresented Groups},
      journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
      year = {2023},
      volume = {6},
      number = {11},
      pages = {999-1006},
      issn = {2456-8880},
      url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1704389.pdf},
      abstract = {In light of sustained underrepresentation of women and racial and ethnic minorities in STEM education and occupations, which reflects the findings of data from the U.S. Census, indicating that as of 2023, fewer than 5 percent of women who worked full-time for an income worked in science, engineering, and computing (as did almost 12 percent of men) and that Black and Hispanic Americans were approximately 5 percent or less, when compared with their share of the population. gov?and given the Additional context: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics reveals that of those given STEM degrees in 2020 only 53 percent of women continued in STEM occupations after five years and 44 percent after 10 years compared to 73 percent and 70 percent of men respectively, and that retention was even lower for underrepresented women, with only 50 percent of Black women and only 44 percent of Hispanic women employed in STEM five years after their degrees and fewer than 30 percent of Black and Hispanic women still in STEM after 10 years versus 52 percent of those tenured in white non-Hispanic women?s congress. gov, and taken in the context of the larger picture of STEM workforce diversity that saw Hispanic, Black, American Indian and Alaska Native workers making up 24%, while accounting for a combined 31% of the U.S. population, in 2021 with higher unemployment for Black (6.6%) and Hispanic (5.7%) workers compared to their white (2.9%) and Asian (2.3%) counterparts. This conceptual paper integrates such evidence through a theoretical lens such as intersectionality, social justice theory, and inclusive pedagogy to claim that achieving meaningful progress toward equity, diversity, and inclusivity in STEM requires a re-conceptualization of institutional policies, educational cultures, and faculty roles and proposes a novel integrated model where inclusive curricula, culturally responsive mentoring, structural supports, and equity-focused faculty development mutually enhance access and retention of minoritized communities in STEM, and it thus contributes conceptually to practice and policy by outlining actionable strategies to transform learning environments, improve retention trajectories, and ultimately diversify pathways for women and minoritized communities in the STEM fields.},
      keywords = {Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, STEM Education, Underrepresented Groups, Retention in STEM},
      month = {May},
  }