Understanding the Experiences of the Under-represented in Engineering

1. ENE WEEKLY SEMINAR SERIES Understanding the Experiences of the Under-represented in Engineering PRESENTED BY ODESMA DALRYMPLE

2. Presentation Overview • Personal Background • Under-representation phenomenon in engineering • Drivers / Motivators for Diversity • Treatment of Race and Ethnicity in Education Research • Learning from the Literature • Re-evaluating the research practice • Continuing the discussions

3. Personal Background

4. Under-Representation Phenomenon Figure 1- Percentages of Population, College-Age Population, S&E Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded, S&E master Degrees Awarded, S&E PhD Degrees Awarded, S&E Workforce, 1997 (Congressional Commission on the Advancement of Women and Minorities in Science, Engineering and Technology Development, 2002)

5. RESEARCHCONTEXT TOPIC Consider the low numbers of minority students enrolled in colleges of engineering • What is known about the experiences these minority engineering students have. • How do these experiences contribute to and shape their admission, retention, graduation and overall participation? ENE PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION 1.) Review & Synthesize Literature 2.) Critically analyze 3 seminal articles 4.) Propose a study to address an identified research question 3.) Identify possible research questions

6. Framing the Exploration

7. Motivators & Drivers • To satisfy the requests or requirements of funding agencies, or another official organization. • To attain education equity • To meet the demand for a workforce trained in science, engineering and technology • To prepare student to enter a diverse workforce when they graduate • To strive for Social Justice • To maximize the potential creativity of the profession (Pfatteicher & Tongue , 2002)

8. Treatment of Race and Ethnicity • Dominant Practice (O'Connor, Lewis & Mueller, 2007)

9. …As Culture

10. ...As a Variable • Proxy for traits • (intelligence & motivation) • Innate and culturally ingrained trait • Cause for education outcomes

11. Conceptual Limitations • Masking Heterogeneity • The way in which space, time, ethnicity, gender & social class moderate the experiences are overlooked • Segments treated as a homogenous group • Under Analyzing Institutionalized Productions of Race • Under estimating the effects of discrimination

12. Learning From the Literature • Reasons for Ethnic Disparity in the Pipeline • Disparity in Pre College preparation • Media Images • Challenges to University Admissions Affirmative Action Policies • Access to Financial Aid / Scholarships • Retention & Persistence • Intervention Programs & Strategies for Change • Engineering Pre-College programs • Media Images • Minority Engineering Program • Two Yr Colleges • Minority Serving Institutions • Dual Degree Programs

13. Disparity in Pre College Preparation White students outperformed African American and Hispanic American students in mathematics by 24-41 scale score points, and by 26-40 scale score points in science. 2000 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics and science assessments (May & Chubin, 2003)

14. Disparity in Pre College preparation • Disparity stems from the distribution of educational resources (qualified teachers, high-quality curriculum, and computer equipment) School Teachers of Mathematics and Science Without a Major or Certification in Class Subject: School Year 1993-1994 (Congressional Commission on the Advancement of Women and Minorities in Science, Engineering and Technology Development, 2002)

15. Disparity in Pre College preparation • Disparity stems from the distribution of educational resources (qualified teachers, high-quality curriculum, and computer equipment) Figure 5 – Advanced Placement Candidates, by Selected Subjects and Race/Ethnicity: 1996 (Congressional Commission on the Advancement of Women and Minorities in Science, Engineering and Technology Development, 2002)

16. Disparity in Pre College preparation • Disparity stems from the distribution of educational resources (qualified teachers, high-quality curriculum, and computer equipment) (Congressional Commission on the Advancement of Women and Minorities in Science, Engineering and Technology Development, 2002, May & Chubin, 2003)

17. Reasons for Ethnic Disparity in the Pipeline Media Images of the Engineer • Minorities are seldom depicted by the media as successful participants in the SET workforce. • Challenges to University Admissions Affirmative Action Policies (Congressional Commission on the Advancement of Women and Minorities in Science, Engineering and Technology Development, 2002; May & Chubin, 2003)

18. Reasons for Ethnic Disparity in the Pipeline Access to Financial Aid / Scholarships • Low socioeconomic background + increasing costs of tertiary education = strong need of financial aid. • Low pre-college scores ≠ scholarships • High demands of the engineering curriculum + working while at school = impractical (May & Chubin, 2003) Retention / Persistence • 37 of every 100 minority freshman drop out of engineering compared to 22 of every 100 non-minority freshman. (Reichert & Absher ,1997) • Tinto’s Theory – Less persistence when the environment at the university is supportive of their social and cultural needs. (Holmes, Ebbers, Robinson, & Mugenda, 2000 ) (Hernandez & Lopez, 2004)

19. Intervention Programs & Strategies for Change • Successful engineering pre-college programs tend to • promote awareness of the engineering profession • provide academic enrichment • have trained and competent instructors (May & Chubin, 2003) • Media Images • “Math is Power,”national public service campaign in 1995. (Congressional Commission on the Advancement of Women and Minorities in Science, Engineering and Technology Development, 2002; May & Chubin, 2003)

20. Intervention Programs & Strategies for Change Minority Engineering Program (MEPs) • Endorsed by the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) as well as by private industry • Basic goal – implement intervention programs to help remove the obstacles that impede the success of minorities in engineering

21. Intervention Programs & Strategies for Change Dual Degrees • Builds on the success of MSIs in attracting minority students. • Liberal arts bachelor’s degree from one school, usually the MSI and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from a second institution, usually a PWI. • E.g. Institute of Technology and the Atlanta University Center

22. Intervention Programs & Strategies for Change Two –Year Colleges • Enrollment at Two Yr Colleges • 54% of Hispanics • 52% of American Indians • 46% of African Americans • Bachelor degree recipients with Associate Degrees • 11 % of the African Americans • 15% of the Hispanics • 20% of the American Indians

23. Intervention Programs & Strategies for Change Minority Serving Institutions • Bachelor degrees in SET • 31% of African Americans from HBCUs • 20% of Hispanics from HIS • 1% of American Indians from TCU • Schools that graduate large classes of African American in engineering are not necessarily more successful in educating African American engineers (Reichert & Absher, 1997)

24. Re-evaluating the Research Process • Ethnographic Research • Entering a social setting and getting to know the people within in … Real Time • How various school contexts affect minority students? • How minority students experience and understand various school contexts? • Integrate multiple levels of analysis when interpreting educational outcomes

25. QUESTION & ANSWER SEGMENT

26. Continuing the Discussion • In studies you have conducted where racial / ethnic data was collected • What was the intent for including or collecting race / ethnic data? • How was it collected? • Was race or ethnicity treated as culture / as a variable? • What meanings / interpretations were derived? • Was the intent fulfilled?