Cross-disciplinary strategies for advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion in geoscience education and workplaces

This thesis investigates systemic marginalization in the geosciences with the aim of creating more inclusive working and learning environments. Geoscience remains one of the least diverse STEM disciplines, shaped by histories of racial, gender-based, and other forms of discrimination. To address these barriers, this research examines how equity-deserving groups experience the field and identifies strategies that can improve participation, support, and success. The three studies consider both global-scale professional and local-scale educational settings. They explore how external pressures, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, influence perceptions of productivity, particularly among women and early-career professionals who often judge themselves more harshly despite similar outputs. They also examine the impact of stereotype threat on students in geological sciences and engineering, revealing how it can undermine confidence, sense of belonging, and performance. Finally, the work evaluates inclusive teaching strategies, such as competency-based assessment, which show promise in improving student motivation, attitudes, and achievement. Together, these findings demonstrate how inequities shape experiences across the geosciences and provide practical, evidence-based recommendations for fostering more equitable pedagogy, institutional policy, and professional culture. The findings of this thesis aim to provide an assessment of sociocultural factors influencing I-EDIAA, creating an opportunity for institutions and organizations to evaluate their shortcomings and successes, and influence positive change. The overarching goal is to help transform the discipline into one that welcomes and supports a more diverse community of students and practitioners.

Department dc:contributor.department

Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Hatherly, Sarah

Advisors dc:contributor.supervisor

• Spencer, Christopher
• Pedersen, Alexandra

• I-EDIAA
• Geoscience Education
• Stereotype Threat
• Competency Based Assessment
• Bibliometrics

Statement dc:rights

• Attribution 4.0 International

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1974/36272

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:queensu.scholaris.ca:1974/36272