Invisible Role Models: Concealable Stigmatized Identities in Undergraduate Science

Similar-identity role models, including instructors, can benefit science undergraduates by enhancing their self-efficacy and sense of belonging. However, for students to have similar-identity role models based on identities that can be hidden, instructors need to disclose their identities. For concealable stigmatized identities (CSIs) – identities that can be hidden and carry negative stereotypes – the impersonal and apolitical culture cultivated in many science disciplines likely makes instructor CSI disclosure unlikely. This dissertation comprises five studies I conducted to assess the presence of instructor role models with CSIs in undergraduate science classrooms and evaluate the impact on undergraduates of instructor CSI disclosure. I find that science instructors report CSIs at lower rates than undergraduates and typically keep these identities concealed. Additionally, I find that women instructors are more likely to disclose their CSIs to students compared to men. To assess the impact of instructor CSI disclosure on undergraduates, I report on findings from a descriptive exploratory study and a controlled field experiment in which an instructor reveals an LGBTQ+ identity. Undergraduates, especially those who also identify as LGBTQ+, benefit from instructor LGBTQ+ disclosure. Additionally, the majority of undergraduate participants agree that an instructor revealing an LGBTQ+ identity during class is appropriate. Together, the results presented in this dissertation highlight the current lack of instructor role models with CSIs and provide evidence of student benefits that may encourage instructors to reveal CSIs to undergraduates and subsequently provide much-needed role models. I hope this work can spark self-reflection among instructors to consider revealing CSIs to students and challenge the assumption that science environments should be devoid of personal identities.