Am I An Engineer? Black Girls' Intersectional Identity Development in a Summer Engineering Program

• In Event: Marginalization in STEM

Abstract

This study used thematic analysis to examine gendered racial identity, engineering identity, and STEM self-efficacy among Black adolescent girls (n = 11) in a predominately White summer engineering program. Critical Race Theory (CRT), intersectionality, and Black Feminist Thought informed the analysis, which sought to understand inequity caused by racism and investigated how the environment influenced Black girls’ experiences. Analysis of data sources (i.e., daily diaries, interviews) revealed how their identities influenced attitudes toward engineering, being silenced and marginalized, and their access to engineering-related programming. The findings illustrate the need to attend to structural inequity that excludes Black girls from STEM experiences. Implications will help dismantle barriers that may prevent Black girls from visualizing themselves as engineers and persisting in the field.

Author

• Whitney N. McCoy, Duke University