Mary Elizabeth Lockhart, Karen Rambo-Hernandez, Rebecca Atadero
{"title":"Investigating inclusive professional engineering identity developmental patterns of first-year engineering majors: A person-centered approach","authors":"Mary Elizabeth Lockhart, Karen Rambo-Hernandez, Rebecca Atadero","doi":"10.1002/jee.20567","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Background</h3>\n \n <p>The lack of diversity within engineering degree programs and occupations has been an ongoing concern for decades. National engineering programs have placed a high priority on broadening participation in engineering and making the engineering culture more inclusive. Specifically, the cultivation of engineering students' inclusive professional engineering identities (IPEIs)—or the value these individuals place on diversity and their willingness to act inclusively within engineering contexts—might be one way to address this long-standing lack of representation.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Purpose</h3>\n \n <p>Rooted in theoretical contexts regarding professional identity development, the purpose of this study is to uncover developmental patterns of first-year engineering students' IPEIs and factors that influence IPEI cultivation.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Methods</h3>\n \n <p>This study built upon the previous variable-centered research findings regarding IPEI development. Specifically, the person-centered approach of random intercept latent transition analysis (RI-LTA) was utilized. RI-LTA allows for the detection of different meaningful groups of individuals demonstrating similarities on the construct and investigating these groups for probabilistic changes over time.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Results</h3>\n \n <p>Four IPEI groups of students emerged with IPEI developmental patterns that were not always stable. Student IPEI classifications differed significantly across gender and students' levels of engineering identity. Furthermore, a series of intervention experiences instigated an even more malleable nature to student IPEIs.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Conclusions</h3>\n \n <p>Engineering students' IPEIs demonstrate some likelihood to change over time, with intervention experiences enhancing the likelihoods for changes to occur. Continuing to investigate factors influencing the positive cultivation of students' IPEIs is fundamental to broadening participation in engineering and making the engineering culture more inclusive.</p>\n </section>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":50206,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Engineering Education","volume":"113 1","pages":"75-102"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9000,"publicationDate":"2023-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Engineering Education","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jee.20567","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
The lack of diversity within engineering degree programs and occupations has been an ongoing concern for decades. National engineering programs have placed a high priority on broadening participation in engineering and making the engineering culture more inclusive. Specifically, the cultivation of engineering students' inclusive professional engineering identities (IPEIs)—or the value these individuals place on diversity and their willingness to act inclusively within engineering contexts—might be one way to address this long-standing lack of representation.
Purpose
Rooted in theoretical contexts regarding professional identity development, the purpose of this study is to uncover developmental patterns of first-year engineering students' IPEIs and factors that influence IPEI cultivation.
Methods
This study built upon the previous variable-centered research findings regarding IPEI development. Specifically, the person-centered approach of random intercept latent transition analysis (RI-LTA) was utilized. RI-LTA allows for the detection of different meaningful groups of individuals demonstrating similarities on the construct and investigating these groups for probabilistic changes over time.
Results
Four IPEI groups of students emerged with IPEI developmental patterns that were not always stable. Student IPEI classifications differed significantly across gender and students' levels of engineering identity. Furthermore, a series of intervention experiences instigated an even more malleable nature to student IPEIs.
Conclusions
Engineering students' IPEIs demonstrate some likelihood to change over time, with intervention experiences enhancing the likelihoods for changes to occur. Continuing to investigate factors influencing the positive cultivation of students' IPEIs is fundamental to broadening participation in engineering and making the engineering culture more inclusive.