Pushes, Pulls, and Persistence: Understanding Underrepresented Students’ Trajectories in Engineering Pathways

• In Event: AERA Research in Progress Roundtable Session Five
  In Invited Roundtable: Research-in-Progress RT003 (Sunday)

Abstract

This study explores how first-generation and underrepresented students enter and persist through engineering pathways that begin in high school and extend into community college and four-year institutions. Informed by the framework of Rightful Presence (Calabrese Barton & Tan, 2020), this study examines the pushes and pulls that shape students’ trajectories in engineering education. Preliminary findings reveal that while moments of rightful presence were limited, they were significant and served as resources students drew upon to persist. Inductive analysis highlights the interplay among intrinsic motivation, engaged learning, sociocultural identity, finances, family responsibilities, and disrupted educational experiences. Together, these findings illuminate how dynamic pushes and pulls influence persistence across complex and non-linear engineering pathways.

Author

• Amy Sarofian-Butin, Tufts University