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Scientific Communication & EducationCBE—Life Sciences Education
Peer-reviewed journal article

Inclusive Biology Curriculum Interventions Can Reduce High School Students' Bioessentialist Beliefs

Charlie K. BlakeiD, Onyebuchi Stephanie EwaiD, Emily B. EcklesiD

Abstract

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) students continue to face violence, exclusion, and barriers at school, including in STEM education. A key underexamined factor in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts is the content of the life science curriculum, which is uniquely positioned to reinforce or refute bioessentialist, binary, and heteronormative biases. Outdated science curricula not only conflict with current scientific evidence but can also perpetuate beliefs that contribute to sexism and LGBTQIA+ marginalization. To address this, we designed four gender and sexual diversity (GSD)-inclusive biology activities, aligned with NGSS standards, and informed by inclusive curriculum frameworks. Using a mixed-methods approach, we studied 127 high school students who participated in two or more inclusive biology activities. Surveys conducted before and after implementation showed significant reductions in essential, binary beliefs about sex and gender, and increases in affirming attitudes toward sex and gender diversity. Interviews conducted after implementation further revealed differences between LGBTQIA+ and straight students conceptualizations of biological sex. Our findings demonstrate that even brief curriculum interventions can shift student attitudes, although we hope future studies will explore the impact of sustained interventions. Updating life science instruction is essential for educational equity and scientific accuracy.

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Claude Opus 5.5 · xhigh effort · 5 Nov 2026 · from the full text of version 1 (19 Apr 2026) · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Participating in two or more gender-and-sexual-diversity-inclusive high school biology activities significantly reduced students' binary, bioessentialist sex and gender beliefs and increased diversity-affirming attitudes through four to six months.

High school biology curricula often present biological sex and reproductive behavior through outdated binary and heteronormative frameworks, which can reinforce bioessentialist beliefs and alienate LGBTQIA+ students in STEM. Testing classroom-ready, Next Generation Science Standards-aligned biology lessons shows that even brief curricular updates measurably shift student attitudes toward sex and gender diversity.

Key results

  1. ShownCompleting at least two inclusive biology activities significantly reduced students' essential, binary sex and gender beliefs and increased affirming attitudes toward sex and gender diversity.

    Across 127 students with paired pre/post surveys, GLMM and Wilcoxon tests showed a decrease on the HABS essential, binary sex and gender subscale (F1,126 = 24.6, p < 0.0001; mean change -0.41 +/- 0.08 SE, W = -1850.0, p < 0.0001) and an increase on the GSDBS affirmation subscale (F1,125.2 = 21.1, p < 0.0001; mean change +0.33 +/- 0.07 SE, W = 2095.5, p < 0.0001), with no change on Transphobia or normative behavior. · Abstract; RQ1. Most students’ attitudes and beliefs…; Figure legends; Tables

  2. ShownReductions in binary sex and gender essentialism and increases in diversity-affirming attitudes remained durable four to six months after the curriculum intervention.

    Among 45 online student participants who completed a 4-to-6-month follow-up survey, GLMM analyses showed follow-up scores on the essential, binary sex and gender scale and GSDBS affirmation scale remained significantly different from pre-survey baselines (p < 0.0001) and did not differ significantly from immediate post-survey scores. · Student populations; RQ1. Most students’ attitudes and beliefs…; Figure legends; Tables

  3. ShownAt baseline, LGBTQIA+ students and students with LGBTQIA+ family members or close friends held significantly lower bioessentialist and transphobic beliefs and higher affirming attitudes than peers.

    Pre-survey Kruskal-Wallis tests showed lower essential/binary sex and gender (chi^2 = 25.4, 21.5, p < 0.0001), normative behavior (chi^2 = 18.2, p = 0.0001; chi^2 = 29.8, p < 0.0001), and transphobia (chi^2 = 20.7, 26.6, p < 0.0001) and higher affirmation (chi^2 = 24.8, 27.4, p < 0.0001) for LGBTQIA+ students and peers, while straight students agreed more that gender equals sex (chi^2 = 16.2, p = 0.0003). · RQ2. Straight and LGBTQIA+ students differed in…; Figure legends

  4. ShownStraight students exhibited larger post-intervention reductions in binary sex and gender beliefs than LGBTQIA+ students (who started near the scale floor), and the two groups conceptualized biological sex differently in interviews.

    Survey time interacted with LGBTQIA+ identity (p < 0.05, N=128): straight students decreased by -0.389 +/- 0.09 SE on the essential, binary sex and gender scale vs -0.252 +/- 0.159 SE for LGBTQIA+ students (over half of whom scored 1-2 at baseline); in post-lesson interviews (n=10), LGBTQIA+ students defined sex via gametes and mutable roles, while straight students invoked hormones, genitalia, and innate behaviors. · RQ2. Straight and LGBTQIA+ students differed in…; RQ2. Straight and LGBTQIA+ students have…; Tables

Methods, data and reproducibility

Develops four 20-to-60-minute NGSS-aligned gender-and-sexual-diversity-inclusive biology activities and evaluates them in a quasi-experimental longitudinal mixed-methods study of high school students. Analyzes paired pre-post and 4-to-6-month follow-up Likert surveys using confirmatory factor analysis, generalized linear mixed models, Wilcoxon signed-rank, and Kruskal-Wallis tests in JMP, plus interviews in Atlas.ti.

  • Paired pre/post surveys from high school students completing >=2 inclusive biology activities in classrooms (3 schools) or online via Prolific (US, UK, Costa Rica) · human · n = 127 paired pre/post surveys (15 classroom, 112 online; 318 total)
  • Longitudinal follow-up surveys completed four to six months post-intervention by online student participants · human · n = 45 online student participants
  • Post-intervention semi-structured online student interviews conducted two to six weeks after completing the biology activities · human · n = 10 high school students (2 classroom, 8 online)
Methods & tools
JMP student edition 19.01, Atlas.ti, Microsoft Teams, Prolific
Data & accessions
https://stemcenter.siue.edu/
Reagents & environment
JMP student edition 19.01; Atlas.ti desktop; Microsoft Teams [S11].
Reproducibility gaps
Curriculum materials are publicly hosted online, and the survey/interview guide and codebook are in the Supplemental Materials, but de-identified participant survey data and interview transcripts are not publicly deposited [S7, S9, S11, S23].
Limitations (4)
  • The quasi-experimental longitudinal design lacked an unexposed control group, and responses could be affected by social desirability or self-selection bias (41.1% classroom consent and completion rate) [S10, S22]. · stated by the authors
  • The 11-item STEM Career Interest Survey (STEM-CIS) science subscale failed confirmatory factor analysis fit and loading criteria and was discarded, while 13% of surveys had missing or 'I don't understand' responses for the word 'dichotomy' on item 6 of the Transphobia scale [S9, S11, S12, S21]. · stated by the authors
  • Several participants conflated the terms sex and gender despite survey instructions, and allowing teachers to choose which two or more of the four activities to implement prevented isolating the effect of individual lessons [S22]. · stated by the authors
  • Termination of project funding shortened the study timeline and limited interviews to 10 students (with only N=5 in the 'LGBTQIA-Maybe' survey subgroup) [S6, S10, S16, S22]. · stated by the authors

Who should read:Read this if you study biology education, design curriculum interventions to reduce genetic or biological essentialism, or evaluate STEM inclusion for LGBTQIA+ students.

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