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Table 2
Participant Characteristics
Participant
Race/
ethnicity
Gender
Native
English
speaker
First
gen.
Disability Graduate/
Under
graduate
Age
group
Becky
White
Cis
woman
Yes
No
No
U
20s
Isabel
White/
Hispanic
Cis
woman
No
Yes
No
G
30s
James
White/
Jewish
Cis man
Yes
No
No
G
40s
Josephine
White/
Sioux
Cis
woman
Yes
No
No
U
20s
Kate
White
Cis
woman
Yes
No
No
G
40s
Lorena
Hispanic
Cis
woman
Yes
Yes
No
G
20s
Lyle
Navajo
Cis man
Yes
Yes
No
U
20s
Robbie
White
Trans
man
Yes
Yes
Yes
U
20s
Vasiliki
White
Cis
woman
No
No
No
G
30s
Winona
Diné
(Navajo)
Cis
woman
Yes
Yes
No
U
20s
Significance of the Study
This study is significant in various ways; first, this is the first study to look specifically at
the experiences of minoritized students in HyFlex; therefore, it encourages further
inquiry into
the HyFlex experiences of students minoritized by race/ethnicity, gender, primary language, and
disability. Second, although current
HyFlex guidelines exist, they do not necessarily focus on
equity in ways this research uncovers. This study provides a set of recommendations or
guidelines that have value for practitioners by bringing attention to
the need to pay increased
attention to equity issues concerning the needs of minoritized students.
59
Another way this study is significant is it contributes to reduce the dearth of empirical
literature on the topic of student equity in HyFlex learning environments. By
giving voice to
minoritized students about their experiences in HyFlex courses, this study
opens that line of
inquiry and invites further research to investigate this phenomenon from the point of view of
students with similar backgrounds to the participants in this study.
Because HyFlex generally
encompasses the range from onsite face-to-face to fully online and everything in between,
another major point of significance of this study is it increases awareness about
the barriers
minoritized students face in achieving their academic goals in all modes. This study is a potential
knowledge fund for practitioners seeking to design and deliver equitable learning experiences in
a new era where educational institutions, as with every other sector of society
and the economy,
have come to rely on hybrid forms of conducting their business.
