Experiences of physics students with multiple marginalized identities in an equity and community oriented LA Program

Identity development is critical to student retention in physics degree programs. Historically, studies on physics identity and student retention in physics have largely ignored the unique experiences of women of color and LGBTQ+ women, who inhabit multiple marginalized identities. In our research we invite multiply-marginalized women in the Texas State University physics department to participate in semi-structured clinical interviews where they are asked about how their identity has developed over the time they have been working toward their degrees. The interviews are analyzed through a blended theoretical framework of Intersectionality and Communities of Practices. We have found that the Physics Learning Assistant (LA) Program had multiple positive impacts on these students. Directly, their participation as LAs in the equity-oriented LA Pedagogy course created relational safety with their peers, and the Pedagogy course and collaborative LA Weekly Prep sessions created opportunities for them to find people with shared identities. More broadly, the cultural transformation within the department toward interactive instructional practices and shared participation in the practices of physics aided in their academic and social success.