Educators and education researchers in postsecondary physics have rarely centered (i.e., intentionally directed attention to) the experiences of students with disabilities, leading to an instructional environment that is not designed to support students with disabilities. In this study, we interviewed five students who identified with the diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and were enrolled in introductory physics courses at a public four-year institution. We framed our investigation with a social relational perspective of disability, which posits that an individual's impairments (referred to as diagnosis characteristics in this paper) interact with social structures to result in disabling barriers (i.e., characteristics of social structures which prevent equal access for individuals with disabilities). We analyzed interview transcripts with interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). We found that the participating students discussed diagnosis characteristics including difficulties with focus, being prone to distractions, difficulties with keeping mental track of tasks and structures, and thinking often about abstract concepts. Diagnosis characteristics identified as challenges could result in negative selfperceptions, possibly as a result of internalized ableism. However, students also expressed that understanding their diagnosis led to benefits such as making more informed choices about their study strategies (e.g., using a planner or chunking their studying time). In alignment with our social relational perspective of disability, we found that course design could support or hinder participants' ability to use their preferred planning or studying strategies. We also found that students experienced increased barriers in their physics courses compared to other courses, specifically due to the increased time needed to process information and a lack of guidance for how to effectively study content for conceptual understanding. SCALE-UP courses introduced supports due to increased student autonomy but could also introduce barriers due to increased distractions. We present recommendations that instructors can implement to increase course supports. Researchers need to continue to center the experiences of students with disabilities in STEM courses so that researchers and practitioners can identify disciplinarily specific strategies to support student engagement and learning.
Historically, non-disabled individuals have viewed disability as a personal deficit requiring change to the "disabled" individual. However, models have emerged from disability activists and disabled intellectuals that emphasize the role of disabling social structures in preventing or hindering equal access across the ability continuum. We used the social relational proposition, which situates disability within the interaction of impairments and particular social structures, to identify disabling structures in introductory STEM courses. We conducted interviews with nine students who identified with a range of impairments about their experiences in introductory STEM courses. We assembled a diverse research team and analyzed the interviews through phenomenological analysis. Participants reported course barriers that prevented effective engagement with course content. These barriers resulted in challenges with time management as well as feelings of stress and anxiety. We discuss recommendations for supporting students to more effectively engage with introductory STEM courses.
Little research in physics education has explored the experiences of postsecondary students with disabilities (SWDs). Perspectives on disability vary in the extent to which they locate disability within the individual or within society. We conducted interviews with SWDs to explore their perspectives on disability and their experiences in STEM-specific courses. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, we identified how the participants' experiences of impairment impacted their learning, often resulting in use of accommodations, such as extra test time. While accommodations allowed the participants to demonstrate content mastery, accommodation use also made them susceptible to disability stigma from peers and instructors who held an individual view of disability. Participants expressed that these feelings of stigma led them to value confidentiality. We argue that instructors who hold a social perspective of disability are in a better position to address barriers in the learning environment and to support SWDs.
Students with disabilities make up approximately 10% of post-secondary students pursuing STEM degrees. Unfortunately, little is known about these students' experiences in post-secondary STEM classes. We are starting to address this knowledge gap by investigating the barriers, supports, and successes students with cognitive disabilities experience in college physics and chemistry courses. We interviewed both students with ADHD and STEM instructors about student experiences in introductory physics and chemistry courses. Initial findings suggest such courses pose a significant challenge for these students compared to their other courses and that certain instructor/student practices can reduce this challenge. Additionally, instructors report that while they may be unable to identify students with cognitive disabilities in their classrooms, they find that the difficulties these students encounter are found in varying degrees across all students. Thus, practices that benefit students with disabilities are likely to benefit all students.
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