Birmingham Newman University is committed to reducing the continuation and attainment gap between students of different ethnicities - this work forms an integral part of our Access and Participation Plan.
It is recognised that students' sense of belonging is a major determinant of retention and attainment, particularly for disadvantaged and non-traditional student groups (Cureton and Gravestock, 2019, Pedler, Willis and Nieuwoudt, 2022; Ahn and Davis, 2023). Focusing on an inclusive curriculum is one way to enhance student belonging. It has been found that inclusivity strongly influences retention and student attitudes and behaviours towards attainment (Arshad-Snyder, 2017; Hall, Worsham and Reavis, 2021).
One part of ensuring an inclusive curriculum is to incorporate a diverse range of reading materials and role models across the course. Prescribed or recommended reading does not 'complete' this process, but it helps.
However, research indicates that university reading lists across the UK tend to be predominantly composed of works by white, male, Eurocentric authors, with limited representation of LGBTQ+ voices, feminist perspectives, and authors from diverse ethnic backgrounds (Bird and Pitman, 2019; Worsley-Burke, Cushman & Whittaker, 2024), and many curricula continue to be dominated by white European discourse (Ardai, Belluigi and Thomas, 2020).
With this in mind, library staff have worked on some ideas and activities to aid academic staff with assessing the diversity of their module reading, and subsequently working to diversify the reading they recommend to students, if needed. The Library is able to offer assistance with these activities. Please contact your Academic Service Librarian if you would like support with these activities.
Top tip: If the discipline feels difficult to diversify, start conversations with students that recognise this, and look for ways to view the discipline through lenses such as inclusive pedagogies and frameworks (example: the Inclusive Education Framework).
Bonus top tip: You could include opportunities in your teaching for students to add their voices and perspectives to the conversations. This could involve:
Ahn, M.Y. and Davis, H.H. (2023) ‘Students’ sense of belonging and their socio-economic status in higher education: a quantitative approach’, Teaching in Higher Education, DOI: 10.1080/13562517.2020.1778664.
Arday, J., Zoe Belluigi, D. and Thomas, D. (2021) ‘Attempting to break the chain: reimaging inclusive pedagogy and decolonising the curriculum within the academy’, Educational Philosophy and Theory, DOI: 10.1080/00131857.2020.1773257.
Arshad-Snyder, S.A. (2017) The role of faculty validation in influencing online students’ intent to persist. Creighton University. EdD thesis. Available at: https://researchworks.creighton.edu/esploro/outputs/doctoral/The-Role-of-Faculty-Validation-in/991005931134102656 (Accessed: 5 March 2025).
Bird, K. S. and Pitman, L. (2020) ‘How diverse is your reading list? Exploring issues of representation and decolonisation in the UK’, Higher Education, DOI: 10.1007/s10734-019-00446-9.
Cureton, D. and Gravestock, P. (2019) ‘“We Belong”: differential sense of belonging and its meaning for different ethnicity groups in Higher Education’, Compass: Journal of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, DOI: 10.21100/compass.v12i1.942.
Hall, M.M., Worsham, R.E. and Reavis, G. (2021) ‘The effects of offering proactive student-success coaching on community college students’ academic performance and persistence’, Community College Review, DOI: 10.1177/0091552120982030.
Pedler, M.L., Willis, R. and Nieuwoudt, J.E. (2022) ‘A sense of belonging at university: student retention, motivation and enjoyment’, Journal of Further and Higher Education, DOI: 10.1080/0309877X.2021.1955844.
Worsley-Burke, A., Cushman, A. and Whittaker, H. (2024) ‘Embedding equality, diversity, and inclusion into the academic library – have students’ requests for diverse content been met?’, Journal of Library Administration, DOI: 10.1080/01930826.2024.2403750.
