Keywords: race, gender, identity
Engineering Students Define Diversity: An Uncommon Thread
Diversity has taken on many meanings, depending on the context in which it is used and the person using it.
Today’s engineering students have come to embody diversity as an extension of their home, academic and social
environments. The result is a group of students that often show indifference to diversity (however defined) and
the impact it will have on their professional careers.
Implications of Findings
In their own words, students outlined an impending generational paradigm shift in thinking about diversity.
They shared profound, thought-provoking data for leaders in engineering to consider as they search for ways to
attract and retain more women and minorities in the field. Insights gained from this research can address the
needs of a cross-section of engineering student populations with careful attention paid to gender, race, culture,
and ideological similarities and differences. While diversity has become increasingly complex, creative efforts
to engage and support the academy from the student body to professors and the administration should be pursued.
Broadening the pool of engineers is essential to the integrity, validity, and survival of the engineering field.
Many studies have investigated reasons for the lack of representation of women and minorities in STEM degree
programs and these studies demonstrate that the playing field in engineering is still not level.
| In their own words, students outlined an impending generational paradigm shift in diversity.
|
Methods and Background
Researchers must consider employing both qualitative and quantitative methods when studying a complex issue such
as diversity. In the present study, there were often inconsistencies in what students reported on quantitative
closed-ended questions and what they reported in their qualitative follow-up discussion during the structured
interview sessions. The absence of either method in this analysis, while interesting, would have made the findings
less robust.
This study used grounded theory, an inductive, analytical approach, to develop the concepts that ultimately
informed the research. Findings from structured interview data from 94 (out of 160) sophomore students
participating in a longitudinal study called the Academic Pathways Study were analyzed. The four participating
schools (referred to by pseudonyms) include: Technical Public Institution (TPI), a public mid-western university
specializing in teaching engineering and technology; Urban Private University (UPU), a private, mid-Atlantic
Historically Black University; Large Public University (LPU), a large public university in the Northwest US; and
Suburban Private University (SPU), a medium-sized private university on the West Coast.
Including students from diverse backgrounds was a key element of the research plan, and special attention was
paid to understanding how underrepresented students navigate their initial years in engineering education. This
was accomplished by employing over-sampling strategies for gender and underrepresented minorities in order to
gain information about a broader range of students.
No preconceived definition of diversity was expressed or implied while gathering the data or in conducting the
research analysis. Diversity as discussed in this paper reflects a non-scripted, but inductively constructed term
based on the responses of the students.
What We Found
The major findings of this study are divided into three primary categories: defining diversity, gender roles and
identity, and racial identity.
Students defined diversity in many ways. Among the familiar themes were diversity of gender, race, culture, and
ideology. The less familiar themes included diversity of major, geography, socio-economic status, and political
affiliation.
Some students at SPU found it easy to define diversity and shared very thoughtful expressions about what diversity
meant to them. For example, Peter defined diversity by saying "...I think diversity means people coming from
different cultures...it’s a difference." Rhonda used a series of analogies to define diversity and explained
"...diversity, know some people have the expression that you have more strings to your harp...I think that’s what
diversity is...if you love math that’s great, but you also do other things, say music...diversity in culture...you
learn that it’s not just your culture that’s supreme to everything else...."
Other students found it more challenging to define diversity, while some students found defining diversity
monotonous and redundant. For example, Bob, a student at LPU, stated "...social diversity...is pounded into
our head at every stage of your development..." Rick said "diversity is one of those ‘buzz words.’ I don’t
think it’s as important as everyone tries to make it." Seemingly, to students such as these, diversity has
become more of a catch all phrase.
Interestingly, there were some inconsistencies in what students reported quantitatively in the closed ended
questions and what they went on to describe qualitatively through the open-ended questions. For instance, one
student at LPU rated his school as fairly diverse but went on to describe the conflicting nature of diversity or
achieving diversity at his institution.
When students were asked to what extent their gender affects their views of becoming an engineer, two
statistically significant relationships were found. First, female and male students had differing opinions
about the impact that gender has on their becoming an engineer and second, that a lack of role models was
significantly associated with being female. Almost two thirds (63%) of students said that their gender did
not affect their views of becoming an engineer.
However, both females and males voice many different opinions about the impact of gender on their educations.
For example, Martin, from LPU stated "...if the females...have an advantage, just because things like affirmative
action, you know where they give certain advantages to some minorities, I wonder if it is a disadvantage being
the majority?" Some women see themselves as ambassadors to the field and are aware of the gender imbalance.
Tina from TPI explained "...I think that females are such a low percentage of...engineers...it encourages me to
be one of those people to get the word out to have more females...in the field of engineering." Some individuals
shared thoughts reflective of a foregone past. For example, Henry, from SPU exclaimed "...It’s more natural for
males to be engineers.
Students were also asked to share views about how they believed their racial identity affected their views of
becoming an engineer. Eighty-one percent answered “no,” that race had no impact on their engineering aspirations.
Joel, a white student from LPU articulates "I really don’t think so. I don’t think that is a big deal. I don’t
think about it very much." Nathan, an African-American student from UPU, found it more of a concern–"the only
thing it affects is who is going to employ me...but it doesn’t affect how I feel about being capable...if you
know what I’m saying, because I’m black..."
These findings together demonstrate a changing attitude toward diversity among college age students. As the
multicultural landscape continues to broaden, radial identity is a term that must be operationalized, and not
generalized, for discussion among engineering academicians to incorporate in the teaching and learning process.
Authors: Lorraine Fleming, Sislena Ledbetter, Dawn Williams, and Janice McCain
Source: Proceedings of 2008 American Society for Engineering Education Conference
The full paper, including references, is available via ASEE proceedings search.
For a printable pdf of this research brief, click here.
Brief created June 2008
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