Ensuring that students have a sense of belonging in physics can bring numerous benefits to the subject, as Jenna Padgett explains
Physics students from under-represented groups consistently report a lower sense of belonging at university than their over-represented peers. These students experience specific challenges that make them feel undervalued and excluded. Yet a strong sense of belonging has been shown to lead to improved academic performance, greater engagement in courses and better mental wellbeing. It is vital, then, that universities make changes to help eliminate these challenges.
Students are uniquely placed to describe the issues when it comes to belonging in physics. With this mind, as an undergraduate physics student with a passion for making the discipline more diverse and inclusive, I conducted focus groups with current and former physics students, interviewed experts and performed an analysis of current literature. This was part of a summer project funded by the Royal Institution and is currently being finalized for publication.
From this work it became clear that under-represented groups face many challenges to developing a strong sense of belonging in physics, but, at the same time, there are ways to improve the everyday experiences of students. When it comes to barriers, one is the widely held belief – reflected in the way physicists are depicted in the media and textbooks – that you need to be a “natural genius” to succeed in university physics. This notion hampers students from under-represented groups, who see peers from the over-represented majority appearing to grasp concepts more quickly and lecturers suggesting certain topics are “easy”.
The feeling that physics demands natural ability also arises from the so-called “weed out” culture, which is defined as courses that are intentionally designed to filter students out, reduce class sizes and diminish sense of belonging. Students who we surveyed believe that the high fail rate is caused by a disconnect between the teaching and workshops on the course and the final exam.
A third cause of this perception that you need some innate ability to succeed in physics is the attitudes and behaviour of some professors, lecturers and demonstrators. This includes casual sexist and racist behaviour; belittling students who ask for help; and acting as if they’re uninterested in teaching. Students from under-represented groups report significantly lower levels of respect and recognition from instructors, which damages their resilience and weakens sense of belonging.
Students from under-represented groups are also more likely to be isolated from their class mates and feel socially excluded from them. This means they lack a support network, leaving them with no-one to turn to when they encounter challenges. Outside the lecture theatre, students from under-represented groups typically face many microaggressions in their day-to-day university experience. These are subtle indignities or insults, unconsciously or consciously, towards minorities such as people of colour being told they “speak English very well”, male students refusing to accept women’s ideas, and the assumption that gender minorities will take on administrative roles in group projects.
Focus on the future
So what can be done? The good news is that there are many solutions to mitigate these issues and improve a sense of belonging. First, institutions should place more emphasis on small group “active learning” – which includes discussions, problem solving and peer-based learning. These pedagogical strategies have been shown to boost belonging, particularly for female students. After these active-learning sessions, non-academic, culturally sensitive social lunches can help turn “course friends” to “real friends” who choose to meet socially and can become a support network. This can help build connections within and between degree cohorts.
Another solution is for universities to invite former students to speak about their sense of belonging and how it evolved or improved throughout their degree. Hearing about struggles and learning tried-and-tested strategies to improve resilience can help students better prepare for stressful situations. Alumni are more relatable than generic messaging from the university wellbeing team.
Building closer links between students and staff also enhances a sense of belonging. It helps humanise lecturers and demonstrate that staff care about student wellbeing and success. This should be implemented by recognizing staff efforts formally so that the service roles of faculty members are formally recognized and professionalized.
Universities should also focus on hiring more diverse teaching staff, who can serve as role models, using their experiences to relate to and engage with under-represented students. Students will end up feeling more embedded within the physics community, improving both their sense of belonging and performance. What ‘equity’ really means for physics
One practical way to increase diversity in hiring is for institutions to re-evaluate what they value. While securing large grants is valuable, so is advocating for equality, diversity and inclusion; public engagement; and the ability to inspire the next generation of physicists.
Another approach is to establish “departmental action teams” to find tailored solutions to unite undergraduates, postgraduates, teaching and research staff. Such teams identify issues specific to their particular university, and they can gather data through surveying the department to identify trends and recommend practical changes to boost belonging.
Implementing these measures will not only improve the sense of belonging for students from under-represented groups but also cultivate a more inclusive, diverse physics workforce. That in turn will boost the overall research culture, opening up research directions that may have previously been overlooked, and yielding stronger scientific outputs. It is crucial that we do more to support physics students from under-represented groups to create a more diverse physics community. Ultimately, it will benefit physics and society as a whole.
