How a Single Sentence From Instructors Can Make College Classrooms More Inclusive
A new study from the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University offers a surprisingly clear insight into classroom dynamics: when an instructor briefly shares a personal detail about their LGBTQ+ identity, even for just a few seconds, students notice — and it can reshape how they feel throughout the entire course. This isn’t about long discussions, dramatic announcements, or emotional storytelling. It’s about a small, direct disclosure that many students barely think about in the moment but still respond to in meaningful ways.
This research, published in CBE—Life Sciences Education in 2025, set out to examine whether the positive reactions observed in earlier, smaller studies would hold true across multiple instructors and campuses. The answer, supported by data from over 2,000 undergraduate students, is yes — and the effect is stronger than many educators might expect.
What the Study Looked At
The research team, led by Carly Busch along with colleagues including Sara Brownell, focused on nine LGBTQ+ biology instructors from universities across the United States. Each instructor made a brief disclosure of their LGBTQ+ identity at some point during the semester. Sometimes it was a short mention of a partner. Sometimes it was a single line placed on a syllabus slide. The average length of disclosure was only a few seconds.
At the end of the semester, 2,045 students were surveyed about their experience. The aim was simple: determine how many students noticed the disclosure and whether it influenced their sense of comfort, belonging, or connection within the course.
The results were remarkably consistent. 88% of students remembered the instructor’s disclosure, despite it being quick and embedded naturally into the course. Nearly 90% said the disclosure was appropriate, and only about 1% reported any negative impact on their experience. This held true across all nine classrooms and across different states — political or social climate did not predict whether students reacted positively, neutrally, or negatively.
This means that even in regions where LGBTQ+ issues may be politically charged, students overwhelmingly viewed the disclosure as acceptable, normal, and unproblematic.
Why the Impact Is Especially Strong for Marginalized Students
The biggest takeaway from the study is how strongly certain groups of students benefited from the instructor’s moment of openness. LGBTQ+ students, unsurprisingly, reported the most significant positive effects. They described greater connection with the instructor, a stronger sense of belonging in the class, and more comfort seeing LGBTQ+ identities represented in a science setting.
For many LGBTQ+ students, representation is more than a symbolic gesture — it helps counter feelings of isolation, stereotype threat, or alienation in academic spaces. Seeing someone with a shared identity succeed in a field like biology can reshape students’ perception of whether they themselves belong in science.
But the benefits didn’t stop there. Several other groups of students reported noticeable improvements in their classroom experience:
- Women
- Nonbinary students
- Racially minoritized students
- Students reporting anxiety or depression
These students described increased feelings of inclusion, openness, comfort, and approachability. Researchers suggest that small acts of personal vulnerability from instructors — even ones unrelated to academics — may signal trust, humanity, and authenticity. That can help students feel like the classroom is a safe, welcoming place, particularly if they already struggle with belonging.
What’s interesting is that students who are not LGBTQ+ themselves didn’t find the disclosure harmful or distracting. A large majority saw it as normal and appropriate, and many believed it contributed positively to an inclusive atmosphere.
Why Instructors Might Hesitate — And Why This Study Matters
Many instructors worry about discussing their personal identity in the classroom. The concerns are understandable: Will students think it’s unprofessional? Will it create discomfort? Will it be misinterpreted as political?
The study directly addresses those fears with data. According to the findings:
- Very few students (about 1%) responded negatively.
- The vast majority felt it was appropriate.
- The geographic or political context did not predict negative reactions.
- A brief disclosure — literally just a few seconds — was enough to make a meaningful difference.
The authors emphasize that disclosure is a choice, not an expectation. No one is suggesting that instructors should come out if they’re uncomfortable or if it would place them at risk. Instead, this research shows that instructors who want to disclose their LGBTQ+ identity can feel more confident doing so — knowing students are likely to respond positively.
One of the senior authors, Sara Brownell, has studied LGBTQ+ inclusion in STEM education for years. She notes that the power of disclosure lies not in the act itself but in the signal it sends: trust, authenticity, and the visibility of identities that are often erased or ignored in scientific communities.
What Makes This Study Different From Earlier Ones
Before this research, most studies on instructor identity disclosure came from single-class or small-scale scenarios. For example, earlier research found that when one instructor revealed her LGBTQ+ identity in a biology course, student reactions were overwhelmingly positive.
But the question remained: Would that trend hold across different instructors, different universities, and different regions?
The answer, confirmed by this multi-class, multi-state study, is yes.
The large sample of students (over 2,000) and the number of participating instructors (nine) strengthen the reliability of the findings. It’s one of the clearest pieces of evidence so far that small, authentic acts of visibility can create a more inclusive and welcoming educational environment — and do so with very little risk.
Why Representation Matters in STEM Classrooms
STEM fields — including biology — still struggle with issues of underrepresentation. LGBTQ+ scientists are often less visible or feel pressure to conceal their identity in academic settings. That invisibility can contribute to what researchers call “identity threat,” where students question whether they belong or whether their identity is seen as compatible with success in the field.
This study reinforces a simple truth: when students see diversity reflected in their instructors, even in a brief moment, they feel more like they belong. And belonging is deeply tied to academic persistence, motivation, and long-term engagement with science.
Representation doesn’t solve every challenge in the STEM pipeline, but it can significantly influence the classroom climate. When instructors feel safe and supported in sharing their identities, students benefit — especially those who rarely see themselves represented in scientific spaces.
What This Means Going Forward
The practical implications are straightforward:
- A brief disclosure from an instructor can create a more inclusive classroom environment.
- The risks of negative student reaction are extremely low.
- Benefits extend beyond LGBTQ+ students to many marginalized groups.
- Instructors do not need to overhaul their teaching — even a five-second acknowledgment is impactful.
- Disclosure is optional and should always depend on an instructor’s comfort level.
This research adds to a growing body of evidence showing that small, authentic acknowledgments of identity can shift classroom culture in positive ways. For educators, it’s a reminder that inclusion is often built through simple, human moments rather than large structural changes.
