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Internships’ Impact on Recognition for First-Generation and/or Low-Income Students

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Conference

2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Minneapolis, MN

Publication Date

August 23, 2022

Start Date

June 26, 2022

End Date

June 29, 2022

Conference Session

ERM: Identity Impacts (Identity Part 2)

Page Count

12

DOI

10.18260/1-2--40755

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/40755

Download Count

388

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Paper Authors

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Jerry Yang Stanford University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0001-5521-8523

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Jerry A. Yang (he/him/his) is a doctoral student and graduate research assistant at Stanford University pursuing a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and a MA in Education. He received a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin with a certificate in LGBTQ+/Sexualities Studies. Jerry is currently researching novel two-dimensional materials for conventional and quantum computing applications. In addition, Jerry’s research interestsinclude diversity, equity, and inclusion issues in engineering higher education; the intersections of sociology, feminist, and queer theory and their applications to diversity/equity/inclusion issues in engineering; and mixed-methods study designs for conducting education research.

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Joseph D Towles Swarthmore College

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Sheri Sheppard Stanford University

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Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University

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Sara Atwood Elizabethtown College

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Dean of the School of Engineering, Math, and Computer Science and Associate Professor of Engineering at Elizabethtown College in central Pennsylvania. Dr. Atwood has been at Elizabethtown since 2010 after obtaining a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the University of California at Berkeley, and an BA and MS in Engineering at Dartmouth College. She is passionate about integrating liberal arts and engineering, alternative assessment approaches, and broadening participation in engineering education and the workforce.

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Abstract

This qualitative research paper explores how internship experiences impact the recognition component of engineering professional identity for first-generation, low-income (FGLI) engineering students, drawing on the performance/competence, interest, and recognition (PCIR) framework. Technical experiences in internships are a crucial component of engineering internships, as they develop technical skill sets in real-world settings. However, the role of technical experiences in internships in developing recognition for FGLI students has not yet been explored. Ten FGLI students at a mid-size, private, highly-selective university in the United States participated in semi-structured interviews conducted through video-conferencing, of which six were selected for this paper due to their in-depth discussions on the technical aspects of their internships. After transcription, interview data were coded and analyzed using cluster matrix techniques that specifically targeted recognition-related codes. We found that participants who were assigned and supported in technical work felt recognized as an engineer by their colleagues and managers. The opposite was true when they were not assigned or supported in technical work. This work showcases that internships represent a highly contested locale in which recognition becomes the currency through which engineering professional identity could be cultivated or inhibited in FGLI students.

Yang, J., & Towles, J. D., & Sheppard, S., & Atwood, S. (2022, August), Internships’ Impact on Recognition for First-Generation and/or Low-Income Students Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--40755

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