“If you aren’t White, Asian or Indian, you aren’t an engineer”: racial microaggressions in STEM education

Abstract

Background Race and gender disparities remain a challenge in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. We introduce campus racial climate as a framework for conceptualizing the role of racial microaggressions (RMAs) as a contributing factor to the lack of representation of domestic students of color in STEM programs on college campuses. We analyze the experiences of students of color in STEM majors who have faced RMAs at the campus, academic, and peer levels. We draw from an online survey of more than 4800 students of color attending a large public university in the USA. The STEM major subsample is made up of 1688 students of color. The study estimates a series of Poisson regressions to examine whether one’s race, gender, or class year can be used to predict the likelihood of the regular occurrence of microaggressions. We also use interview data to further understand the challenges faced by STEM students of color. Results The quantitative and qualitative data suggest that RMAs are not isolated incidents but are ingrained in the campus culture, including interactions with STEM instructors and advisers and with peers. Students of color experience RMAs at all three levels, but Black students in the STEM majors are more likely to experience RMAs than other students of color in the sample. Conclusions Our study demonstrates the need for campus officials, academic professionals, faculty members, and students to work together to address racism at the campus, academic, and peer levels. Additionally, STEM departments must address the impacts of the larger racial campus culture on their classrooms, as well as how departmental culture reinforces racial hostility in academic settings. Finally, our findings reveal the continued presence of anti-Black racism in higher education.

Social Capital From Professional Engineering Organizations and the Persistence of Women and Underrepresented Minority Undergraduates

“…This results in mismatches between academic program cultures and the values of URM students, especially women of color, who may feel like they do not fit in STEM programs (Rainey et al, 2018) and report that their STEM experiences are explicitly impacted by race and gender (Dancy et al, 2020). Black students are disproportionately affected by their STEM programs' climates, given the societal pervasiveness of anti-Black microaggressions (Lee et al, 2020). Because the relationship between fitting into unwelcome academic climates and persistence is strong (Marra et al, 2012;Meyer and Marx, 2014;Rainey et al, 2018;Fink et al, 2020), investigations into how students gain social capital through PEOs to deal with poor academic climate are imperative.…”

Informal community spaces, mentoring and representation: unpacking factors that influence African American engineering undergraduates

“…Institutional racism promotes a culture that is detrimental to the retention of minoritized individuals in engineering (e.g. persons who identify as Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, and American Indian/Alaskan Native) (Lee et al , 2020). Specifically, minoritized students can be subjected to unwelcoming campus climates that tend to foster isolation, and having to navigate negative stereotypes can undermine their confidence and inflict mental strain (Cabrera et al , 1999; Ferguson, 2019; McGee, 2016).…”

Self-efficacy and belonging: the impact of a university makerspace

“…Unfortunately, underrepresented students' lack of a sense of belonging, often due to a chilly climate ingrained in the departmental culture, is well documented in STEM (Johnson 2012;Lee et al 2020;Rainey et al 2018) and in engineering specifically (Banda and Flowers 2016;Garriott et al 2019;Godbole et al 2018;Tate and Linn 2005). Given that makerspaces can act as anticipatory socialization for future engineers, where students may model professional engineering practice and learn associated norms, it is necessary to assume there is a risk that undesirable elements of engineering culture may be reproduced there (Vossoughi et al 2016).…”

“…While it is not particularly meaningful nor just to group international students with racial minorities, it is important to note that this combined group of individuals, who are likely already marginalized in multiple aspects of their education, are not seeing the benefits to sense of belonging to a makerspace their peers experienced simply by taking a class which requires makerspace use. While more research is needed to replicate and understand this finding, the important implication is that more attention needs to be paid to helping marginalized groups feel like they belong and reap the full benefits of makerspace participation, especially given the historically chilly climates for underrepresented groups in both documented STEM (Johnson 2012;Lee et al 2020;Rainey et al 2018) and engineering specifically (Banda and Flowers 2016;Garriott et al 2019;Godbole et al 2018;Tate and Linn 2005). Further, it is important to consider members of historically marginalized groups as individuals.…”