Engineering Education through the Latina Lens

Abstract

Less than 20% of undergraduates earning a degree in engineering are women, and even more alarming is minority women earn a mere 3.1% of those degrees. This paper reports on a qualitative study examining Latinas' identity development toward and in undergraduate engineering and computer science studies using a sociocultural theory of learning. Three major themes emerged from the data analysis: 1) Engineering support clusters as affinity spaces contributing to development of engineering identities; 2) Mexican or Mexican-American family contributing to persistence in engineering; and 3) Equity in access to engineering education. Engineering support clusters and Mexican heritage family support were vital in developing and sustaining Latinas' engineering identity. Additionally, data supported the idea that Latinas at the research site experienced gender and ethnic equity in their access to engineering education. The authors call for a more gender-inclusive engineering education and situating education experiences in more effective learning approaches (i.e., critical thinking in community and cultural contexts), which deserves attention in order to move engineering away from a ubiquitous view of inflexibility regarding women in engineering.

BecomingLa Ingeniera: Examining the Engineering Identity Development of Undergraduate Latina Students

“…Prior scholarship has shown Latina/o/x students in engineering, particularly Latinas, may face obstacles to the development of an engineering identity and must utilize various forms of capital to resist marginalization (Aguirre-Covarrubias, Arellano, & Espinoza, 2015;Camacho & Lord, 2013;Villa, Wandermurmen, Hampton, & Esquinca, 2016). Latina students sometimes feel as though their gender and racial/ethnic identities do not fit within the engineering culture and attempted to gain value and acceptance through assimilation (Camacho & Lord, 2013).…”

“…Previous research has highlighted how support groups, university initiatives, and student organizations are meaningful for Latina engineering students in forming and maintaining engineering identities (Villa et al, 2016). Educators are pivotal in assisting families in learning about and become more involved in the academic and career decisions of their daughters (Decuir-Gunby, Grant, & Gregory, 2013).…”

“…These positive experiences were echoed in another study more broadly focused on Latina and Latino students who reported that Latina/o/x engineering student organizations encouraged them to find role models and become role models to current and prospective engineering students (Alonso Revelo, 2015). Furthermore, support from family members, especially relatives involved in engineering fields, has been shown to be a key factor in Latina engineering students' success (Camacho & Lord, 2011;Decuir-Gunby, Grant, & Gregory, 2013;Villa et al, 2016;Wilson-Lopez, Mejia, Hasbún, & Kasun, 2016). Latina/o/x families play an important role in supporting prospective engineering students and building the relationship between community and classroom (Camacho & Lord, 2011).…”

TECHNOLOchicas

“…Latina girls and women in the U.S. are avid users of technology, but they are significantly underrepresented in its creation. There are several unique barriers facing Latinas' participation in computer science, including: a lack of access to CS classes in school and afterschool programs; 4 lower levels of STEM and CS confidence and self-efficacy; 18 a lack of family support and encouragement to pursue computing careers; 3…”

Board 90: Latinx Persistence In and Beyond the Degree: Intersections of Gender and Ethnicity (Research)

“…A small, but growing, body of literature explores the identity work of women of color in "the double bind." Some researchers have focused on women of color in the workplace [34], in the professoriate [35], in undergraduate studies [36] - [41], and in the transition between college and the workplace [42].…”