Using data collected from more than 4,800 students of color at a large, public university in the United States, a recent study from University of Illinois researchers has found that Black students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are more likely to experience racial microaggressions than other students of color in STEM, with Black women reporting the highest rates.

The paper, "If You Aren't White, Asian or Indian, You Aren't an Engineer": Racial Microaggressions in STEM Education" is published in the International Journal of STEM Education. Co-authors include Meggan J. Lee, Jasmine D. Collins (photo above), Stacy Anne Harwood, Ruby Mendenhall, and Margaret Browne Huntt.

According to Stephanie Henry of the College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences, the researchers show that the overall racial climate on a college campus—informed by experiences of racial microaggressions—is a contributing factor in the lack of representation of students of color in STEM education programs.

For the study, Collins, an assistant professor in the Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications program at Illinois and co-author of the study, as well as colleagues from disciplines including sociology and African American studies analyzed the experiences of students of color in STEM majors who reported experiencing racial microaggressions across three levels: on campus, in academic settings, and with peers.

Black men and women, Latina women, Asian women, and Indigenous women in the study, in particular, reported experiencing racial microaggressions more frequently at the campus level than in classrooms or between peers.

The researchers hope the findings from the study will encourage STEM-related academic programs to address the larger campus culture in their classrooms and other academic settings.

Funding was provided in part by grants from the Center on Democracy in a Multiracial Society, Campus Research Board (including the Multiracial Democracy Initiative), Graduate College Focal Point, and University Housing at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.