Two Years Later: Understanding the Continued Benefits of a Social Belonging Intervention for First-Year Women in Engineering

• In Event: College Pathways: From High School Preparation to Alumni Perspectives

Abstract

Women earn the majority of four-year degrees in STEM but account for less than 20% of graduates (NSF, 2019). This disparity for women can result from a masculine culture in disciplines like engineering, which often puts women at a disadvantage in their academic pursuits (Cheryan, et al, 2017). This mixed methods study follows up on women two years after participating in a social belonging intervention conducted in a first-year engineering course. Women who received the intervention had continued GPA benefits into the fourth college semester. For interview participants, women of color’s GPA increased overtime while white women showed a slight downward trend. Persistence in engineering for both conditions remained similar at the end of the second college year.

Authors

• Linda DeAngelo, University of Pittsburgh

• Kevin R Binning, University of Pittsburgh

• Sarah E Kurz, University of Pittsburgh