BIO

Hello, my name is Thamengie Richard. I am a 2nd-year psychology major and innovation minor at Florida State University. I was born in Port-au-Prince Haiti, but I spent a lot of my life in North Lauderdale, FL. I am currently involved in programs and clubs at FSU such as CARE, Alliance for Black Women, and the Black Student Union. My hobbies include dancing and journaling. Currently, my plan for after graduation is to go to graduate school and earn my masters in I-O psychology. In the future, I want to continue to do research that analyzes implicit bias, prejudice, and institutional racism.

An Analysis of Florida State Student Preferences and Biases when Selecting Tutors at ACE Learning Studio.

Abstract

Biases and preferences are present during every conscious and unconscious decision made throughout the day. These preferences can be based on stereotypes or past experiences, and they are not always inherently negative. Students select whom they want to be their tutor based on various factors. In this study, we analyzed experienced tutors' perceptions of students' most important preferences when selecting a tutor. We conducted 30–45-minute interviews with tutors in the Academic Center for Excellence (N=4) to explore tutors' perceptions of their students' selection process and the potential impact of students' choices on their tutors. Data collection and analysis results show that tutors view race, ethnicity, gender, and primary language as relevant factors when selecting a tutor. Tutors also identified availability and personal recommendation as the primary factors; Availability was consistently rated as the highest priority factor among tutors. The data findings have implications for supporting increased enrollment diversity in STEM programs of study and increased diversity among the STEM tutors of institutional success centers. The results show the need for more education about personal and institutional biases such as racism, sexism, and monolingualism

Keywords: Implicit bias, Social psychology, psychology, tutor, bias,