See, Reflect, and Act: Using Equity Audits to Enhance Student Success

Abstract

Promoting the success of all students is one of four institutional goals at Texas State University. Retention and graduation rates provide information regarding the academic progress and success of specific student cohorts. To gain a deeper insight into student success within the undergraduate kinesiology/exercise and sports science program at Texas State University, an equity audit was conducted during the fall 2019 academic semester. An equity audit provides a lens to critically examine institutional data to identify inequities in academic programs and student achievement based on specific variables, such as gender, age, race, and socioeconomic status. This article provides a model for conducting an equity audit in kinesiology/exercise and sports science programs, reports the findings, and highlights strategic actions implemented to combat inequities in student success.

Kinesiology, Physical Activity, Physical Education, and Sports through an Equity/Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Lens: A Scoping Review

“…Studies focusing on kinesiology engage with equity and equality, in the context of the EDI groups of gender [83][84][85][86], race [87,88], and LGBTQ2S+ [89], including through an intersectionality lens [90,91] of these three identities [92,93]. It is suggested to perform equity audits [94]. Coverage exists for the terms diversity and inclusion [95], as well as for Indigenous peoples [91].…”