Alyssa Trzynka

Biology classrooms shape students’ understandings of sex and gender, yet these concepts are often taught through binary and essentialist narratives that present “male” and “female” as fixed, natural categories. These narratives can alienate Trans and Gender Nonconforming (TNG) students, limiting their sense of belonging and contributing to inequitable experiences in STEM. Although research on LGBTQ+ students in science education is expanding, the specific experiences of TNG biology students, and the instructional choices that influence their classroom environments, remain insufficiently explored. This project aims to investigate how gender-related narratives in undergraduate biology courses are constructed, reinforced, or challenged by instructors, with the goal of informing more inclusive pedagogical practices. Guided by the Teacher-Centered Systemic Reform (TCSR) model, the study examines how personal, contextual, and cognitive factors shape instructors’ decisions when teaching topics such as sex determination, sexual reproduction, and sexual selection. Twenty-two biology instructors from diverse institutional contexts participated in two semi-structured interviews each, reflecting on their preparation, teaching practices, departmental norms, and ongoing learning related to gender-inclusive instruction. The qualitative analysis involves segmenting interview transcripts, creating concept maps to visualize relationships among influencing factors, and conducting thematic analysis to identify patterns across participants. The findings will provide insight into how instructors navigate both supportive and constraining conditions when attempting to teach inclusively. Ultimately, this project will contribute to evidence-based strategies for pedagogical reform, professional development, and institutional support aimed at improving the experiences and persistence of TNG students in biology education.