Costello, R. A., R. Amin, E. P. Driessen, M. K. Kjelvik, E. H. Schultheis, R. M. Youngblood, A. T. Zemenick, M. G. Weber, and C. J. Ballen. 2026. Students express minimal resistance to inclusive biology activities highlighting the diversity of scientists. BioScience doi: 10.1093/biosci/biag029

While educators strive to foster inclusive learning environments, a commonly reported concern is the prospect of student resistance to inclusive course content. To investigate the extent of student resistance to inclusive activities, we conducted a post-hoc analysis of more than 6000 student responses to survey questionnaires from a nationwide study that evaluated data literacy activities implemented in undergraduate biology courses that featured scientist role models with counter-stereotypical identities. We found few instances of active student resistance to these inclusive activities. Most student responses (94%) displayed no clear resistance to the activities. Of the resistant responses, only 16 (0.25%) were clearly resistant to the inclusive content within the data literacy activities. This study is the first to attempt to quantify student resistance to inclusive activities featuring counter-stereotypical scientist role models and serves as a springboard for future exploration of student resistance.

DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biag029

Associated Treatment Areas:

• Human Surveys
• Education

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