Students express minimal resistance to inclusive biology activities highlighting the diversity of scientists

Abstract 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.