Investigating Factors Related to Disciplinary Identification and Persistence in Undergraduate Engineering Education

• In Event: STEM in and Before the Classroom

Abstract

Diversity in engineering remains low despite decades of rhetoric and efforts to broaden participation and retention. This study investigates students’ perceptions of an engineering department’s climate for students from dominant and non-dominant groups and their relationship to identification and persistence in engineering. Findings indicate that all groups perceived the engineering program to be less welcoming for non-dominant than dominant groups. Despite similarities in perception across groups, departmental climate was differentially related to engineering identity and persistence in engineering by gender and race and appears to be mediated by relationships with peers. These findings suggest that efforts to improve the departmental climate for non-dominant groups, with a focus on peer relationships, may positively impact engineering identity and persistence.

Authors

• Susannah Davis, Oregon State University

• Susan B. Nolen, University of Washington - Seattle

• Naeun Cheon, University of Washington - Seattle

• Elba Camila Moise, University of Washington - Seattle