Addressing the Minoritised Ethnic Attainment Gap in Discrete Mathematics

Proceedings of The 4th Global Conference on Education and Teaching

Year: 2023

DOI:

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Addressing the Minoritised Ethnic Attainment Gap in Discrete Mathematics

Dr. Anastasia Sofroniou and Bhairavi Premnath

ABSTRACT: 

The UK Higher Education sector has faced challenges with regards to the representation and success of the minoritised ethnic groups such as Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities. Disparities continue in areas like admission rates, attainment levels, and career advancement despite programmes and efforts to increase diversity and inclusion. To overcome systemic hurdles and provide equal chances for students from underrepresented ethnic groups, constant analysis and adjustment of current policies are necessary, particularly in higher education. The underrepresentation of students from these ethnic groups in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) professions is particularly concerning since it exacerbates existing labour inequalities and restricts the potential for innovation and growth in these critical fields. In order for this set of students to succeed in their studies and future endeavours, it is crucial that the UK higher education system continues to address systemic hurdles and give equal chances. This requires a comprehensive and sustained investigation that considers the multiple and intersecting forms of inequality the students may face at their institutions. With these in mind, an empirical study was conducted to determine the attainment gap between the minoritised ethnic group students and the non-minoritised ethnic group students studying the undergraduate degree module ‘Discrete Mathematics’ over two consecutive academic years.

keywords:  Ethnicity, Higher Education, Statistics, STEM