Introduction: There is a critical need to foster inclusive educational spaces for Queer identifying students and to resist oppressive structures that seek to marginalize and inflict trauma on students because of their gender or sexual identity.
Methods: Drawing on thematic analysis and Queer theory, we interviewed 11 Queer identifying STEM students to understand the navigational strategies they leveraged within higher education environments related to their Queer identity.
Results: We developed a cyclical model of navigational strategies employed by Queer STEM students that involved evaluating the environments, performing psychological identity calculations, and engaging in behavioral actions.
Research into the experiences of students in mathematics with a marginalized sexual identity has remained largely underexplored, relegating these experiences and individuals to remain invisible. In this study, we leverage Queer Theory to address this gap in research by reporting on the experiences of Queer-spectrum undergraduate students (n = 2,454) enrolled in introductory mathematics courses (Precalculus, Calculus 1, and Calculus 2) across the United States. Drawing on student data (n = 24,327) from the Student Post-Secondary Instructional Practices Survey, we examine reported outcomes of math learning experiences and access to learning environments.
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