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Textbooks shape teaching and learning in introductory biology and highlight scientists as potential role models who are responsible for significant discoveries. We explore a potential demographic mismatch between the scientists featured in textbooks and the students who use textbooks to learn core concepts in biology. We conducted a demographic analysis by extracting hundreds of human names from common biology textbooks and assessing the binary gender and race of featured scientists. We found that the most common scientists featured in textbooks are white men. However, women and scientists of colour are increasingly represented in contemporary scientific discoveries. In fact, the proportion of women highlighted in textbooks has increased in lockstep with the proportion of women in the field, indicating that textbooks are matching a changing demographic landscape. Despite these gains, the scientists portrayed in textbooks are not representative of their target audience—the student population. Overall, very few scientists of colour were highlighted, and projections suggest it could take multiple centuries at current rates before we reach inclusive representation. We call upon textbook publishers to expand upon the scientists they highlight to reflect the diverse population of learners in biology.
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This content will become publicly available on June 1, 2026
Highlighting Counterstereotypical Scientists in Undergraduate Life Science Courses
In this essay, we review how counter-stereotypical scientists have been featured in life science courses and discuss the benefits and costs of developing and interacting with these materials from the perspectives of three groups: students, instructors, and the featured scientists.
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- PAR ID:
- 10583968
- Author(s) / Creator(s):
- ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; more »
- Editor(s):
- Luanna, Prevost
- Publisher / Repository:
- CBE—Life Sciences Education
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- CBE—Life Sciences Education
- Volume:
- 24
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 1931-7913
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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