Teachers’ attitudes towards equity, diversity, and inclusion in higher education: A scoping review

Higher education institutions worldwide have formulated Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) policies and interventions to stimulate teachers to create more inclusive, equitable education. However, despite this growing emphasis on the importance of EDI, there is little change in educational practice. Much remains unknown about what motivates teachers to actively incorporate EDI. Nevertheless, there is some indication that teacher attitudes influence their actions in the classroom. In this scoping review, we reviewed the literature on empirical studies to understand teacher attitudes regarding EDI in higher education and what factors influence these attitudes. A comprehensive search was performed in the bibliographic databases Eric (Ebsco), APA PsyInfo, Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus. Out of 7498 studies, 46 studies were finally included in this review. A majority of the studies had a focus on teachers’ attitudes towards the inclusion of students from minority groups, particularly those with disabilities. Three dimensions of teacher attitudes towards EDI were found: Openness/Resistance, Comfort/Discomfort and Willingness/Reluctance. These dimensions were linked to student composition, EDI topic discussions, or instructional/curricular adjustments. Gender, exposure and training, academic rank, and institutional support were factors that influenced teacher attitude towards EDI. The findings indicate that to facilitate educational change concerning EDI, institutions should not only focus on research and interventions stimulating teachers’ openness and comfort regarding minority students, but find ways for them to transition to willingness to make changes in teaching and curricula. Several recommendations for practice are proposed.