  Researchers have pinpointed recognition from others as one of the most
important dimensions of students' science and engineering identity. Studies,
however, have found gender biases in students' recognition of their peers, with
inconsistent patterns across introductory science and engineering courses.
Toward finding the source of this variation, we examine whether a gender bias
exists in students' nominations of strong peers across three different remote,
introductory physics courses with varying student populations (varying
demographics, majors, and course levels). We also uniquely evaluate possible
racial/ethnic biases and probe the relationship between instructional context
(whether lecture or laboratory) and recognition. Some of our results replicate
previous findings (such as the the association of course grade and small class
section enrollment with nominations), while others offer contradictions.
Comparing across our three courses and the prior work, results suggest that
course level (whether first-year students or beyond-first-year students) might
be more associated with a gender bias in peer recognition than other variables.
Surprisingly, we also find instances of racial/ethnic biases in favor of
students from backgrounds historically underrepresented in science. Finally, we
find that the nomination patterns differ when students nominate individuals
strong in the lecture material versus laboratory material. This work serves as
an important step in determining which courses and contexts exhibit biases in
peer recognition, as well as how students' perceptions of one another form in
remote teaching environments.
