USING THE RECCEE PRACTICES IN GEOSCIENCE CONTEXTS TO SUPPORT A MORE DIVERSE GEOSCIENCE COMMUNITY

Concealable stigmatizable identities (e.g., LGBTQ+ status, mental health status, religious beliefs) are held by many of us in the geoscience community. Advances in our understanding of how to strengthen disciplinary STEM identities continue to support the use of culturally relevant frameworks that include aspects of intercultural competency in order to sustain interest and motivation of diverse people (e.g., geoscientists with CSIs) to pursue STEM careers, including geoscience. Consideration of CSIs is necessary for the geoscience community to be more inclusive and welcoming to diverse people. For example, equity-driven decision-making (e.g., seeking out counternarratives) is a necessity for ensuring that marginalized community members are heard, and their values are respected. In turn, this builds trust and relational accountability (i.e., members are enabled to wield agency and direct community activities towards community priorities).

Within geoscience contexts, there are many paths of divergence that we, geoscience educators, ask our students to take without realizing that we are asking them to compromise their community cultural values. For example, discussions about climate change, the age of the earth, and the definition of “life” can often result in tense educational environments within undergraduate and graduate geoscience classrooms. One way to mitigate these potential barriers to learning science can be achieved through the use of pedagogical strategies that help students reflexively understand how their personal beliefs may or may not be in alignment with the nature of modern science.

This presentation will share how the Religious Cultural Competence in Evolution Education (ReCCEE) framework was used in an undergraduate astrobiology course. The ReCCEE practices intentionally used in the module were Explore, Outline a spectrum of viewpoints, and Highlight potential compatibility. Preliminary analysis reveals the positive impact of these practices on students' exploration of personal beliefs, understanding diverse viewpoints, and recognizing potential compatibility between evolution and religion.