We present a critical synthesis examining the use and investigation of equity in 122 studies published across two flagship journals of Chemistry Education Research (Chemistry Education Research and Practice and the Journal of Chemical Education). Marked increases in the investigation of equity were observed (most notably during 2012 and 2020). However, 59.4% of equity-related Chemistry Education Research (CER) studies were enacted without a discernable framework for interpreting equity-related data. These studies often emphasized identifying how students marginalized by the education system were lacking (in achievement, “background,” stamina, etc.) to advance interventions for the student while ignoring (or minimizing) the impact of policies and practices enacted across the education system. Various disciplines of scholarship acknowledge this approach to equity reflects epistemologies of ignorance. Inferences derived from bibliometric data suggest these observations, along with a general adherence to a singular methodology, expose the limitations of sourcing foundational literature predominantly from within Discipline-Based Education Research (DBER) to support equity investigations. Implications for researchers based off of these findings will be presented.

Beyond epistemologies of ignorance: For the advancement of equity through chemistry education research

ACS Spring 2022

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