Humanizing geoscience education research through participant-driven visual representation

Abstract

As a response to the increased need for humanization and representation in STEM, a set of open-source, customizable icons was developed using stackable vector graphics to allow participants to design their own research icons. These icons have the potential to both grant research participant’s greater agency in their representation and attempt to minimize bias introduced by the researcher. Additionally, the representation provided by the developed icons help to illuminate those that are participating in geoscience. The visual representation of research participants provides an opportunity for these individuals to see themselves represented in geoscience spaces and aids in visualizing the geoscience community. Examples of implementation in both quantitative and qualitative research are provided and the authors encourage their use by the broader research community.

Keywords:

• Representation
• icons
• diversity
• participant agency