Inclusive Engineering Identities; Two New Surveys to Assess First-Year Students' Inclusive Values and Behaviors

Abstract

The under-representation of women and people of color in engineering careers is not fully explained by their lower representation in engineering degree programs. There is also attrition from the profession after engineering degrees are earned. Currently, 20% of engineering degrees are awarded to women, and only 13% of the engineering workforce are women. Also, underrepresented minorities earn a small proportion of the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees, and represent an even smaller proportion of the workforce. For example, while approximately 11% of the total workforce is Black, only 6% of the STEM workforce is Black (U.S. Department of Education, 2016). Often cited issues for leaving engineering are uncomfortable and unsupportive work climates (Singh, Fouad, Fitzpatrick, & Chang, 2014). Women who have earned bachelors degrees in engineering left engineering at much higher rates than men, and these women cite issues of poor workplace climates, bosses, or culture (Singh et al. 2014). Women who stayed in engineering cite being supported by their organizations and perceiving their work as valued (Singh et al. 2014). More recent research demonstrated this uncomfortable culture exists well before entering the workforce. Undergraduate women cite informal interactions and sexism in teams as propagating a culture that is unwelcoming to women (Seron, Silbey, Cech, & Rubineau, 2016).Most efforts to change these percentages of representation both in the workforce and in school focus exclusively on those in the minority. However, our NSF funded study seeks to change the culture of engineering to be more welcoming and supportive of women and underrepresented minorities by helping all engineers appreciate and seek out diversity In our project we have worked with several instructors to infuse first year engineering classes with activities to promote diversity and inclusion. By working towards cultural change we hope to impact both university degree programs and engineering practice. We developed intervention activities for first year engineering courses to promote what we termed an inclusive engineering identity. Inclusive engineering identity is displayed by engineers who value diversity in engineering and promote inclusive behaviors within the profession. When we tried to measure the impact of our intervention on all engineering students, we quickly discovered there were no psychometrically sound measures to assess how engineering students valued diversity specifically in the context of engineering and how likely they were to enact inclusive behaviors. Thus, this research study details the development of two new scales to measure how students develop an inclusive engineering identity.

Examining the Effects of Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Activities in First-Year Engineering Classes

“…Students (n intervention=116, n comparison= 137) took the Valuing Diversity and Enacting Inclusion in Engineering Scale [17], which assesses four related constructs. Specifically, the survey asked to students to indicate their agreement with why engineers should value diversity in engineering: (a) fulfill a greater purpose (n=4, r = .88) and (b) serve customers better (n = 4, r = .91), and whether the students would (c) promote a healthy team culture (n = 4, r = .87), and (d) challenge discriminatory behavior (n = 5, r = .93).…”

First-year Engineering Students and Their Perceptions of Academic Progress

“…Surveys are given in an effort to foretell retention [1], [2], ascertain student understanding of engineering [3] and better understand their choice of engineering major [4]. Perhaps most important, surveys can also be used to gain insight into the attitudes, values, and behaviors of engineering students that might affect their success and satisfaction in their major in the long term [4] - [6].…”

Practices in Engineering Education

“…Other studies have looked at how specific underrepresented groups understand engineering through self-efficacy and funds of knowledge [8], [9] , and how they experience engineering by looking at specific experiences in engineering research settings, design teams, and other personal campus experiences [10]- [14] . Researchers have also looked at inclusive values of peer educators, engineering identities, and first years' behaviors [15]- [17] . There has also been work looking specifically at retention practices for underrepresented groups, such as inclusive environments in first-year classes and reviewing the successes and challenges in this type of work [18]- [20] .…”