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Demonstrating cultural diversity and inclusivity in selecting academics in higher education in Australia

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Abstract

Benefits of a diversified workforce is undeniable. This paper outlines research in progress into racial, cultural and gender influence on the selection processes of academic positions in higher education in Australia. We argue that a genuine aim of cultural diversity and inclusivity among students needs to be preceded and demonstrated by the same goal in selecting academics in higher education. This work is important as there is no study in Australia on how the university's academic selection is influenced by the decision-maker's personal and organisational characteristics and belief systems. This research aims to collect data from the university employees who have been interviewed for academic positions and from staff who have served on selection panels. The research will employ a survey followed by optional semi-structured interviews. Descriptive and thematic analysis will be carried out on the survey data. The interview data will be analysed using verbal data analysis. The result of this research would provide insight into how the cultural, racial and gender identity of the candidate and members of selection panels influence the selection process in academic recruitment in Australian universities and thus demonstrate the aim of cultural diversity and inclusivity among academic staff and students.
Reconnecting relationships through technology PECHA KUCHA
ASCILITE 2022 The University of Sydney e22178-1
Reconnecting relationships through technology
Demonstrating cultural diversity and inclusivity in
selecting academics in higher education in Australia
Kashmira Dave1 and Philip Usy2
1University of New England, 2University of Adelaide
The benefits of a diversified workforce are undeniable. Many studies focused on the importance of
diversity of students in higher education. Campbell (2000) argues that to educate a culturally diverse
society effectively, a culturally diverse teaching team is a 'necessity'. This research aims to contest the
idea of inclusion and the impact of biases in academic appointments. It is argued that the meaning of
inclusion is significantly framed by the selection panel members' biases around the candidate's identity.
We argue that a genuine aim of diversity and inclusivity among students needs to be preceded and
demonstrated by the same goal in selecting academics in higher education. Studies suggest that decision-
makers personal and organisational characteristics can influence the screening of immigrant professionals
during the recruitment and selection process (Fernando et al., 2016). Norton et al. suggest that
individuals use questionable arguments to justify implicit biases around race (Norton et al., 2004) . The
result of this research would provide insight into how the biases of the selection panel members influence
the selection process for academic recruitment in Australian universities. The results will also shine some
light on the idea of inclusion and how it is an opportunity in education and society to identify and
challenge discrimination and exclusion at the local and national levels (Armstrong et al., 2011). Another
dimension of the outcome of this research is how the biases impact peoples' self-perception,
predominantly in the minority (Clance & Imes, 1978; Cokley et al., 2017). Research into racial and
cultural stereotyping indicates that racial stereotyping increases the threat among the group resulting in
underperformance as the stereotyped group may not be able to connect to the mainstream (Miyake et al.,
2010; Spencer et al., 1999; Steele & Aronson, 1995). The exhaustive literature review revealed a gap in
this area of research. There are no studies on how the racial and cultural biases of the interviewee or
members of selection panels impact the selection process and how biases could influence performance
and self-efficacy. This study will not only help the prospective academics to understand the recruiter's
preferences but could also bring about change in the higher education academic recruitment process and
thereby demonstrate universities' genuine commitment to cultural diversity and inclusivity among
academic staff and students.
The participants of this research will be university employees who either have been interviewed for
academic positions or have served on selection panels of academic recruitment. The participants will be
from different gender, cultural and racial backgrounds, people with disability and people from
LGBTQA+. This research will employ a mixed-method approach through semi-structured interviews and
surveys. Ethics is being sought for this research. In the first phase, we aim to have 25 academics who had
been interviewed and ten selection panel members. We also plan to send the survey to the extended
university community and receive a more significant number of responses. The questions in the survey
and interview would include questions on explicit/implicit biases and stereotypes. Expertise of the
behavioural psychologists may be sought in designing the question and suggestions on methodological
aspects of this research.
Keywords: academic selection process, bias and stereotypes, inclusivity, diversity
Reconnecting relationships through technology PECHA KUCHA
ASCILITE 2022 The University of Sydney e22178-2
References
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Dave, K. & Uys, P. M. (2022, December 4-7). Demonstrating cultural diversity and inclusivity in selecting
academics in higher education in Australia [Pecha Kucha Presentation]. 39th International Conference on
Innovation, Practice and Research in the Use of Educational Technologies in Tertiary Education, ASCILITE
2022, Sydney, NSW, Australia. https://doi.org/10.14742/apubs.2022.178
The author(s) assign a Creative Commons by attribution licence enabling others to distribute, remix, tweak, and
build upon their work, even commercially, as long as credit is given to the author(s) for the original creation.
© Dave, K. & Uys, P. M. 2022
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  • D Bernard
  • A Hurst
  • S Jackson
  • S Stone
  • O Awosogba
  • C Saucer
  • M Bailey
  • D Roberts
Cokley, K., Smith, L., Bernard, D., Hurst, A., Jackson, S., Stone, S., Awosogba, O., Saucer, C., Bailey, M., & Roberts, D. (2017). Impostor feelings as a moderator and mediator of the relationship between perceived discrimination and mental health among racial/ethnic minority college students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 64(2), 141-154. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000198
Reducing the gender achievement gap in college science: a classroom study of values affirmation
  • A Miyake
  • L E Kost-Smith
  • N D Finkelstein
  • S J Pollock
  • G L Cohen
  • T A Ito
Miyake, A., Kost-Smith, L. E., Finkelstein, N. D., Pollock, S. J., Cohen, G. L., & Ito, T. A. (2010). Reducing the gender achievement gap in college science: a classroom study of values affirmation. Science, 330(6008), 1234-1237. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1195996
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  • J Aronson
Steele, C. M., & Aronson, J. (1995). Stereotype threat and the intellectual test performance of African Americans. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69(5), 797-811. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.69.5.797