ESPLAT 2025 conference: Scientific thinking in challenging times

Introduction: Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) are interrelated notions, which aim to work together to create environments and practices that ensure the fair treatment of all. It is essential that we investigate EDI within psychological teaching to improve the learning experiences for individuals within both vulnerable groups such as those with disabilities and underrepresented groups such as people of colour. Previous studies have found evidence that perceived inclusivity and gender attitudes are associated with burnout (Morales Rodriguez, Rodriguez Clares & Garcia Munoz, 2020), which can have detrimental effects on the wellbeing of students and can thus impact their academic achievement and career. Unfortunately, students that are under-represented show lower retention rates compared to their counterparts that are part of the majority (Hagedorn, Maxwell & Hampton, 2001). The overarching aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of students’ experiences of diversity, inclusion, and equality of their psychology teaching.

Methods: This study investigates students’ experiences of diversity in their curriculum through a questionnaire and interview. A detailed questionnaire is provided to the full cohort, focussing first broadly on students’ perceived diversity and inclusion in their teaching, as well as asking about specific elements that have been included with the aim to evaluate how well these worked, what impact they had, and how they could be improved. More in-depth interviews with a subset of the participants to allow for richer understanding of the experiences.
Results & Discussion: Data collection is ongoing until June 2025, but results presented will provide an insight into students’ experiences of diversity. By investigating students’ experiences of equality, diversity, and inclusion as part of their psychology degree, we can inform teaching practices in the hopes of creating more engaging materials, ultimately aiming at improving retention of students belonging to under-represented groups in the academia