Giving Voice to Black Male Engineering Students: Contextualizing Persistence at an HBCU (Historically Black College or University)

• In Event: Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: Motivation in Education SIG: Poster Session 2 of 2

Abstract

For over a decade, federal agencies have pushed to increase the number of minority students earning degrees in STEM. Available research indicates that these students have an increased risk of attrition. The purpose of this study is to solicit the voices of Black male engineering majors about factors they attribute to their persistence. Thirty semi-structured interviews were analyzed in Nvivo 9 using a grounded theory methodology to develop a person-in-context model of Black males that encompasses individual and contextual resources influencing their persistence in engineering at an HBCU. This research gives insight into how the unique context of an HBCU supports these students and can be used to develop strategies for recruiting and retaining Black males in engineering degree programs.

Authors

• Jennifer O. Burrell, Howard University

• Afiya C. Fredericks, Howard University

• Lamar J. White, Howard University

• Lorraine Fleming, Howard University

• Ashley Renee Griffin, Howard University