Understanding student diversity and the factors that influence academic success: a preliminary study (2024)

FAQs

What are the factors to be considered in understanding the learners diversity? ›

The reality is, diversity in classrooms means many things, including differences in language, social class, age, religion and beliefs, nationality, gender, ethnicity, and more. The experiences each child has also contribute to their diversity as learners.

Kang and Keinonen (2018) and other researchers explained that students' time management, self-motivation, engagement, behavior, and attitudes are the key factors governing their academic success. According to a lot of researchers, teaching quality is one of the most important factors that influence academic success.

It is important to remind ourselves why diversity and cultural awareness is so crucial in the classroom and the benefits it can have on students now and in the long-term. Teaching diversity exposes students to various cultural and social groups, preparing students to become better citizens in their communities.

Lesson Summary

Student diversity refers to the differences among students. Teachers can help students feel valued and respected by promoting cultural awareness in the classroom, which is a degree of understanding of people from various backgrounds.

Diversity and inclusion improve teaching and learning. People learn and enrich their abilities to think critically and creatively as they engage in conversations across difference, especially when all learners' abilities and attributes and embraced.

In fact, “parental education might be the biggest factor” in determining a student's academic success according to a 2022 EdSource article.

Study after study shows teacher quality is the biggest contributor to academic achievement.

What is Diversity in the Classroom? To define diversity in the classroom, it helps to understand what diversity is in and of itself. Simply put, diversity is everything that makes people different from each other, such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, ability or religious belief.

Students may perceive that they do not “belong” in the classroom setting — a feeling that can lead to decreased participation, feelings of inadequacy, and other distractions. Teachers may make flawed assumptions of students' capabilities or assume a uniform standard of student performance.

Why does diversity matter? ›

Better problem-solving and increased creativity are positively associated with a variety of diversity attributes. Diversity is connected positively with innovation. Diversity can lead to increased knowledge formation and patents.

Diversity in College by School Type

At public four-year schools, 46% of students were white, 38% were BIPOC, and 16% did not identify their race. At public two-year schools, 38% of students were white, 44% were BIPOC, and 17% did not identify their race.

I have long been committed to diversity, and recognize the barriers faced by women and other minorities in engaging in some fields. In high school, I was one of the very few female students participating in math olympiad teams. During my undergraduate studies, I had surprisingly few female professors in mathematics.

Explanation: Diversity means being different from each other in terms of a number of factors like physical appearance, religion, culture, language, ethnicity, etc.

How do teachers support diverse learners? Having an elastic, accepting, and caring mindset, providing direct instruction, creating time for collaboration, and teaching advocacy are ways to construct an effective learning environment for all of our students who each have a unique and developing mind.

Individualized students' characteristics often relate to demographic information such as age, gender, maturation, language, social-economic status, cultural background, and specific needs of a learner group such as particular skills and disabilities for and/or impairments to learning.