Instructor Talk and Student Belonging in Introductory Biology: Not all Talk Matters and Relationships Vary by Student Identity.

Instructor Talk—noncontent and nonlogistical language that is focused on shaping the classroom learning environment—is a recently defined variable that may play an important role in how undergraduates experience courses. Previous research characterized Instructor Talk used by faculty teaching in biology lecture classrooms. However, graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) and laboratory classrooms represent critical factors in undergraduate education, and Instructor Talk in this context has yet to be explored. Here, we present findings analyzing Instructor Talk used by GTAs teaching in undergraduate biology laboratory classrooms. We characterized the Instructor Talk used by 22 GTA instructors across 24 undergraduate biology laboratory courses in the context of a single, urban, Hispanic-serving and Asian American and Pacific Islander–serving Institution. We found that Instructor Talk was present in every course studied, GTAs with pedagogical training and prior teaching experience used more Instructor Talk than those without, and GTAs teaching laboratory courses used more Instructor Talk than previous observations of faculty teaching lecture courses. Given the widespread use of Instructor Talk and its varying use across contexts, we predict that Instructor Talk may be a critical variable in teaching, specifically in promoting equity and inclusion, which merits continued study in undergraduate science education.

The Challenge of Providing Culturally Competent Services

Building rapport between instructors and students is a challenge, especially in large classes and in online environments. Previous work has shown that non-content Instructor Talk can foster positive student-teacher relationships, but less is known about non-content talk in electronic instructor messages. Here, we used the established Instructor Talk framework to craft positively phrased electronic messages that were sent through the course's learning management system to students enrolled in an introductory biology course at a large public institution. We examined both close- and open-ended survey responses (n = 226) to assess students' perceptions of the electronic messages, the course, and their instructor. Of the established Instructor Talk categories, the building student/instructor relationship category was most memorable to students. Encouragingly, 61% of students indicated they "liked the course more" and 88% indicated they "liked the instructor more" in response to the electronic messages. This demonstrates that implementing positively phrased Instructor Talk into electronic communication is an effective way to build rapport between instructors and students.

A modern understanding of the cell and its functions has been translated into learning goals for K-12 students by Project 2061's Benchmarks for Science Literacy (American Association for the Advancement of Science [AAAS], 1993 ) and by the National Research Council's National Science Education Standards (NSES) (National Research Council [NRC], 1996 ). Nearly every state has used these national documents to develop their own science standards, so that there is now a fairly broad consensus on what it is that students need to know and be able to do in science generally and in biology more specifically. While this consensus represents an important first step toward improving science education, without curriculum, instruction, and assessments that are well aligned with these goals, teachers will find it extremely difficult to help their students achieve them. Here, we first highlight a few of the key findings regarding cell biology from Project 2061's study of high school textbooks and their alignment with standards. We then describe Project 2061's current efforts to develop new knowledge and tools that educators, researchers, and practitioners can use to help all students become literate in science, mathematics, and technology. Project 2061 is a long-term K–12 education initiative of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Improving access and quality for ethnic minority women— panel discussion

The CDC’s Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey – Using Intersectionality and School Connectedness to Understand Health Disparities During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Scientific Publishing

The executive summary provides an overview of some of V&C's key recommendations regarding next steps in the effort to mobilize the biology community. It is, in essence, a call for national service. A publication discussing these recommendations and action items in more depth will be available later this year. Meanwhile, we highly recommend reading the Executive Summary of V&C, the NAS report (NAS, 2010), and a seminal article by Labov et al. (2010) summarizing the synergy created by these several reports on the changing nature of studies in biology and concomitant need to change biology education. Then, take action! Our hope is to see the formation of a community of biologists, similar to that forming in geology (Manduca et al., 2010): one that will advance biology undergraduate education so it truly reflects the discipline it serves.

Influence of Race, Ethnicity, and Culture on Childhood Obesity: Implications for Prevention and Treatment

Honoring Asian diversity by collecting Asian subpopulation data in health research.

Debate has continued throughout the last decade over the existence and possible causes of differences between males' and females' mathematical skills. Several observations recur as the focus of this controversy. First, adolescent boys have been found to score higher than girls on standardized mathematics achievement tests.' Second, males are more likely than females to engage in a variety of optional activities related to mathematics, from technical hobbies to careers in which math skills play an important role.2 Third, adolescent males typically perform better than their female

Freedom is not free: Examining health equity for racial and ethnic minoritized veterans.

Psychotropic Medication Nonadherence Among United States Latinos: A Comprehensive Literature Review

Adolescent sexuality and reproductive health: where are we in 2004?

This study sought to identify racial and ethnic differences in rates of alcohol-related advice given to veterans treated in Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities. This was a cross-sectional analysis of data from the VA Survey of the Healthcare Experiences of Patients (SHEP). Participants were 255,522 veterans treated in VA ambulatory clinics in fiscal year 2005. SHEP measures included alcohol consumption questions from the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and an item inquiring whether a VA clinician had given advice about drinking. Logistic regression was used to examine relationships between race and ethnicity categories and receipt of alcohol-related advice. Covariate measures included demographic characteristics and physical and mental component summary scores from the Veterans RAND Health Survey (VR-12). Among veterans who consumed any alcohol, compared with veterans from the other racial or ethnic groups, Asian, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander veterans were less likely to be in the medium and highest alcohol consumption categories and non-Hispanic white veterans were less likely to be in the highest alcohol consumption category (p<.001). In a model adjusting for demographic characteristics, physical and mental health status, and alcohol consumption category, among veterans who consumed any alcohol, those who were non-Hispanic black (odds ratio [OR]=1.65, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.47-1.84), Hispanic (OR=1.56, CI=1.35-1.80), or non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native (OR=1.56, CI=1.06-2.29) were more likely to report receiving alcohol-related advice, compared with non-Hispanic white veterans. The results suggest that veterans from certain minority groups are more likely than white veterans to report receiving alcohol-related advice in the VA, after the model is adjusted for demographic characteristics, health status, and alcohol consumption. Further research is needed to understand the underlying reasons for observed differences in receipt of alcohol-related advice and the potential clinical implications.