Walker, A., & Gelles, L. (2022, August), Exploring Climate and Student Persistence in Engineering and Computer Science through Engineering Culture (Work in Progress)  Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41132

\bibitem{asee_peer_41132}
  Walker, A., \& Gelles, L. (2022, August), \emph{Exploring Climate and Student Persistence in Engineering and Computer Science through Engineering Culture (Work in Progress)}
  Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Minneapolis, MN.
  10.18260/1-2--41132

Amy Walker and Laura Gelles.  "Exploring Climate and Student Persistence in Engineering and Computer Science through Engineering Culture (Work in Progress)".  2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN, 2022, August.  ASEE Conferences, 2022.  https://peer.asee.org/41132 Internet.  14 May, 2025

\bibitem{asee_peer_41132}
  Amy Walker and Laura Gelles.
  "Exploring Climate and Student Persistence in Engineering and Computer Science through Engineering Culture (Work in Progress)".
  \emph{2022 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Minneapolis, MN, 2022, August}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2022.
  https://peer.asee.org/41132 Internet.  14 May, 2025

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_41132
author = "Amy Walker and Laura Gelles"
title = "Exploring Climate and Student Persistence in Engineering and Computer Science through Engineering Culture (Work in Progress)"
booktitle = "2022 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition"
year = "2022"
month = "August"
address = "Minneapolis, MN"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/41132}
number = {10.18260/1-2--41132}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - This work in progress (WIP) paper describes the initial stages of a project to explore students’ perceived climate and how that influences their persistence within engineering and computer science (ECS). Attrition of historically marginalized populations within ECS fields is often attributed to ‘chilly climates’. We recognized the potential for such a chilly climate at our institution when analyzing the results of a retention study of the current undergraduate population within ECS. To address this, we conducted a mixed-method study to explore how climate (operationalized through sense of belonging, pedagogical experiences, and ECS culture) impacts student persistence. This survey was piloted with 100 undergraduate ECS students. Preliminary results of examining the ECS Culture Scale and associated qualitative survey question indicates that participants are aware of and have internalized ECS cultural values. Women and racial and ethnic minorities strongly identify with their majors and believe that working hard will lead to their success. At the same time, aspects of their values are in tension with the dominant culture (e.g., they strongly agree that an ability to help others is a central message of their major). These students have strong intentions to persist and use their isolated status and stereotypes associated with their identity to succeed in spite of outside perceptions of them. In contrast, those that believe that assumptions made about them do not impact their intention to persist (who are predominantly White and Asian men) do not recognize dominant cultural norms as strongly and are more ambivalent about their major being a big part of their identity. These results suggest that underrepresented students who intend to persist have internalized the dominant culture within ECS, which helps enable their success. For students who have not internalized that culture, the ‘chilly climate’ is likely all the chillier, which may influence their persistence.
AU  - Amy Walker
AU  - Laura Gelles
CY  - Minneapolis, MN
DA  - 2022/08/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Exploring Climate and Student Persistence in Engineering and Computer Science through Engineering Culture (Work in Progress)
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/41132
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--41132
ER  -