Cultural Resources Mediating the Identity Development of Females in Engineering and Computer Science

• In Event: Poster Session 15
  In Poster Session: STEM Education in K-12 and Higher Education

Abstract

While most professions have reached gender equity, the disciplines of engineering and computer science continue to a large extent to be underrepresented in gender. The purpose of this study is to understand this complicated issue of gender inequality in engineering and computer science by investigating why and how female students, in particular Latinas, chose to become a computer scientist or an engineer. Drawing on a sociocultural theory of identity, we analyzed twenty Latina engineering students’ discourse on their experiences in making this career choice. Our findings identified four main cultural resources that contributed to develop their identities of becoming engineers/computer scientists. Suggestions and implications are provided to address the gender inequality issue through the lens of identity production.

Authors

• Pei-Ling Hsu, University of Texas - El Paso

• Elsa Quiroz Villa, The University of Texas - El Paso