Use of Transdisciplinary Dialogue to Broaden Participation in Engineering

• In Event: Supporting Students in the College Transition

Abstract

In spite of initiatives to increase equity within the STEM talent pool, recent data show that African Americans remain significantly underrepresented in engineering. To resolve this issue, STEM educators have focused on disciplinary content and instructional strategies whereas behavioral scientists tend to focus on “why” types of questions. The objectives of this study were to determine the existence and possible impact of stereotype threat on African American pre-engineering students’ academic performance and psychological well-being and to develop a shared language as scholars. Using a mixed methods framework through the lens of stereotype threat theory, the researchers found that engineering educators may be experiencing flashbacks of their own exposure to microaggressions and implicit bias during early schooling experiences in the sciences.

Author

• Cirecie A. West-Olatunji, Xavier University of Louisiana