BOARD #158: Poster: Exploring the Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Undergraduate Engineering Experiences

Elizabeth Ann Strehl; Aaron W. Johnson; Sarah Jane Bork

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Conference: 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Publication Date: June 22, 2025
Start Date: June 22, 2025
End Date: August 15, 2025
Conference Session: Equity, Culture & Social Justice in Education Division (EQUITY) Poster Session
Tagged Divisions: Equity and Culture & Social Justice in Education Division (EQUITY)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 18
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/55978

Paper Authors

biography

Elizabeth Ann Strehl University of Michigan

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Elizabeth is a graduate student at the University of Michigan studying Engineering Education Research. She is an NSF fellow whose research focuses on asset-based approaches towards supporting the undergraduate engineering experiences of students from low socioeconomic status (low-SES) backgrounds. Elizabeth earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan with foci in Biomedical Engineering and Applied Mathematics, but also worked as a K-12 teacher for several years before beginning her graduate degree.

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Aaron W. Johnson University of Michigan

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Aaron W. Johnson is an Assistant Professor in the Aerospace Engineering Department and a Core Faculty member of the Engineering Education Research Program at the University of Michigan. His design-based research focuses on how to re-contextualize engineering science engineering courses to better reflect and prepare students for the reality of ill-defined, sociotechnical engineering practice. Current projects include studying and designing classroom interventions around macroethical issues in aerospace engineering and the productive beginnings of engineering judgment as students create and use mathematical models. Aaron holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Michigan and a Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Prior to re-joining Michigan, he was an instructor in Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder.

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Sarah Jane Bork University of Georgia orcid.org/0000-0002-4344-554X

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Dr. Sarah Jane (SJ) Bork is an Assistant Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering with an emphasis on engineering education research. Dr. Bork’s research has focused on examining the mental health experiences of engineering graduate students. She has studied different areas (e.g., social factors, engineering culture, etc.) using a variety of research methods (e.g., regression analysis, photovoice, factor analysis, interview data, etc.). Dr. Bork earned her doctorate degree from the University of Michigan’s Engineering Education Research Program. Prior to this, she earned both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from The Ohio State University.

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Abstract

The purpose of this interactive poster is to examine common experiences of undergraduate engineering students from low-socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds and investigate how these experiences compare to higher-income peers. Engineering has long been regarded as an exclusive field, shaped by structural barriers that limit access for students from marginalized identities. These barriers, whether consciously or unconsciously created, have historically restricted opportunities for minoritized students, including those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. While a significant amount of research has examined how identities such as race, ethnicity, or gender influence students' sense of belonging in engineering, SES has often been overlooked. As an “invisible identity,” SES is inconsistently defined and often overlooked in higher education, making it difficult for these financially disadvantaged students to find community and advocate for their needs effectively. Existing literature on low-SES students in STEM often focuses on summative outcomes, such as graduation and retention rates, while neglecting the nuanced daily experiences of these students, particularly in engineering contexts. Additionally, much of this research adopts a deficit-based orientation, emphasizing barriers and challenges faced by low-SES students without acknowledging the strengths, resilience, and unique contributions they bring to these environments. These approaches fail to provide a holistic understanding of how socioeconomic factors shape students' experiences, identities, and opportunities in engineering.

Our study seeks to address this gap by investigating how socioeconomic factors impact the undergraduate engineering experience, identifying shared themes among the low-SES student body. This work is informed by Liu’s Revised Social Class Worldview Model (SCWM-R), which examines how perceptions of social class develop and influence behaviors and worldviews. The survey includes multiple-choice, Likert-scale, and open-ended questions, designed to capture data on economic factors and their effects on key aspects of the college experience, such as access to resources, academic challenges, and well-being.

The survey instrument will be piloted with undergraduate engineering students at a large, historically white, research-intensive Midwestern university to ensure diverse perspectives across socioeconomic backgrounds. The instrument is organized into sections addressing themes of financial stress, access to social and academic resources, and the relational impacts of SES. Guided by the SCWM-R framework, the survey takes an asset-based approach, emphasizing the strengths and unique contributions of low-SES students in navigating higher education, rather than focusing solely on barriers or deficits.

This poster will present the initial development and content of the survey instrument. Future work will use the collected data to conduct descriptive and bivariate statistical analyses, as well as psychometric testing (e.g., item response theory) to refine the instrument and explore shared characteristics of low-SES students. By providing a nuanced understanding of how socioeconomic factors shape the undergraduate engineering experience, this work aims to inform institutional practices and support efforts to create more inclusive and equitable environments for financially disadvantaged students. The findings will guide future research and initiatives aimed at reducing institutional barriers and fostering the success and retention of low-SES students in engineering.

Citation
Format

Strehl, E. A., & Johnson, A. W., & Bork, S. J. (2025, June), BOARD #158: Poster: Exploring the Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Undergraduate Engineering Experiences Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Montreal, Quebec, Canada . https://peer.asee.org/55978

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - The purpose of this interactive poster is to examine common experiences of undergraduate engineering students from low-socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds and investigate how these experiences compare to  higher-income peers.
Engineering has long been regarded as an exclusive field, shaped by structural barriers that limit access for students from marginalized identities. These barriers, whether consciously or unconsciously created, have historically restricted opportunities for minoritized students, including those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. While a significant amount of research has examined how identities such as race, ethnicity, or gender influence students&#39; sense of belonging in engineering, SES has often been overlooked. As an “invisible identity,” SES is inconsistently defined and often overlooked in higher education, making it difficult for these financially disadvantaged students to find community and advocate for their needs effectively. Existing literature on low-SES students in STEM often focuses on summative outcomes, such as graduation and retention rates, while neglecting the nuanced daily experiences of these students, particularly in engineering contexts. Additionally, much of this research adopts a deficit-based orientation, emphasizing barriers and challenges faced by low-SES students without acknowledging the strengths, resilience, and unique contributions they bring to these environments. These approaches fail to provide a holistic understanding of how socioeconomic factors shape students&#39; experiences, identities, and opportunities in engineering. 

Our study seeks to address this gap by investigating how socioeconomic factors impact the undergraduate engineering experience, identifying shared themes among the low-SES student body. This work is informed by Liu’s Revised Social Class Worldview Model (SCWM-R), which examines how perceptions of social class develop and influence behaviors and worldviews. The survey includes multiple-choice, Likert-scale, and open-ended questions, designed to capture data on economic factors and their effects on key aspects of the college experience, such as access to resources, academic challenges, and well-being.

The survey instrument will be piloted with undergraduate engineering students at a large, historically white, research-intensive Midwestern university to ensure diverse perspectives across socioeconomic backgrounds. The instrument is organized into sections addressing themes of financial stress, access to social and academic resources, and the relational impacts of SES. Guided by the SCWM-R framework, the survey takes an asset-based approach, emphasizing the strengths and unique contributions of low-SES students in navigating higher education, rather than focusing solely on barriers or deficits.

This poster will present the initial development and content of the survey instrument. Future work will use the collected data to conduct descriptive and bivariate statistical analyses, as well as psychometric testing (e.g., item response theory) to refine the instrument and explore shared characteristics of low-SES students. By providing a nuanced understanding of how socioeconomic factors shape the undergraduate engineering experience, this work aims to inform institutional practices and support efforts to create more inclusive and equitable environments for financially disadvantaged students. The findings will guide future research and initiatives aimed at reducing institutional barriers and fostering the success and retention of low-SES students in engineering.


AU  - Elizabeth Ann Strehl
AU  - Aaron W. Johnson
AU  - Sarah Jane Bork
CY  - Montreal, Quebec, Canada 
DA  - 2025/06/22
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - BOARD #158: Poster: Exploring the Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Undergraduate Engineering Experiences
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/55978
ER  -