How Turkish Am I?: A 2nd-Generation Turkish-American Woman’s Identity Navigation Through Mechanical Engineering Education (Diversity)

Yagmur Onder

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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: Student Division Technical 1: Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity (DEI)
Page Count: 24
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--41888
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/41888
Download Count: 509

Paper Authors

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Yagmur Onder Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE)

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Yagmur Onder is a sophomore (2nd-year) undergraduate at Purdue University majoring in Mechanical Engineering and minoring in Global Engineering Studies. She's involved with DeBoer Lab in Engineering Education research where her work has mainly focused on the experiences of women engineers and intersectionality.

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Abstract

In the U.S., self-exploration often starts at university, as this is typically the first time an individual lives on their own. This study is an autoethnography focusing on a 2nd-generation Turkish-American immigrant woman’s experiences in her second year of undergraduate studies in mechanical engineering. It explores themes of ethnic/racial identities, engineering academic identities, and the overlap. Throughout the data collection, the author also goes through a temporary ethnic disconnect, a phenomenon frequently discussed in literature about 2nd-generation Turkish-Americans, which impacts her experiences.

Autoethnographies provide insight into understanding cultural experiences. This autoethnography contributes to the cultural understanding of engineering education through the lens of a 2nd-generation Turkish-American woman. The overarching research question is “How does a 2nd-generation Turkish-American woman engineering student navigate her ethnic and engineering identities within the first two years of college?” with sub-topic questions to understand broader cultural experiences listed below:

a. How do we walk the line between the different cultures we are a part of? Is there even a line to walk? b. Are there external stimuli that bring out more of one cultural identity versus another, or do we, as humans, have more agency in the worlds we walk in?

The study’s outcome is a research paper examining the author’s experiences at the intersection of her multiple identities during her mechanical engineering education. Data was collected through a journal over five months of free writing, responding to literature, reflecting after mentor meetings, and transcriptions of audio narrating experiences. Data analysis consisted of organizing the raw data based on different themes to establish the different overarching concepts which result in relationships, perseverance, conflict, and individual agency. The results illustrate how these topics can be strong components for the development of engineering and ethnic (Turkish) identities in university, specifically in the context of the author’s undergraduate engineering education. Our identities are a key component to our quality of life, and how others may see us can affect the way we see ourselves. This autoethnography’s relevance is such that it provides insight into how, in engineering education, the support provided to develop one’s identity (while recognizing the similarities and differences between academic and ethnic spaces) can be so influential in the development of engineering students. The goal of this paper is to share the experience of a woman engineer who also goes through the development of her ethnic identity. It serves to fill the gap in literature of women engineers and 2nd-generation Turkish-Americans such that this paper exists in the intersection of those fields using a critical analysis to understand human culture. This study could also help other students/faculty understand the lived experiences first-hand from an engineering student to help create a more inclusive environment.

Citation
Format

Onder, Y. (2022, August), How Turkish Am I?: A 2nd-Generation Turkish-American Woman’s Identity Navigation Through Mechanical Engineering Education (Diversity) Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41888

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - In the U.S., self-exploration often starts at university, as this is typically the first time an individual lives on their own. This study is an autoethnography focusing on a 2nd-generation Turkish-American immigrant woman’s experiences in her second year of undergraduate studies in mechanical engineering. It explores themes of ethnic/racial identities, engineering academic identities, and the overlap. Throughout the data collection, the author also goes through a temporary ethnic disconnect, a phenomenon frequently discussed in literature about 2nd-generation Turkish-Americans, which impacts her experiences.

Autoethnographies provide insight into understanding cultural experiences. This autoethnography contributes to the cultural understanding of engineering education through the lens of a 2nd-generation Turkish-American woman. The overarching research question is “How does a 2nd-generation Turkish-American woman engineering student navigate her ethnic and engineering identities within the first two years of college?” with sub-topic questions to understand broader cultural experiences listed below:

a.	How do we walk the line between the different cultures we are a part of? Is there even a line to walk?
b.	Are there external stimuli that bring out more of one cultural identity versus another, or do we, as humans, have more agency in the worlds we walk in?

The study’s outcome is a research paper examining the author’s experiences at the intersection of her multiple identities during her mechanical engineering education. Data was collected through a journal over five months of free writing, responding to literature, reflecting after mentor meetings, and transcriptions of audio narrating experiences. Data analysis consisted of organizing the raw data based on different themes to establish the different overarching concepts which result in relationships, perseverance, conflict, and individual agency. The results illustrate how these topics can be strong components for the development of engineering and ethnic
(Turkish) identities in university, specifically in the context of the author’s undergraduate engineering education. Our identities are a key component to our quality of life, and how others may see us can affect the way we see ourselves. This autoethnography’s relevance is such that it provides insight into how, in engineering education, the support provided to develop one’s identity (while recognizing the similarities and differences between academic and ethnic spaces) can be so influential in the development of engineering students. The goal of this paper is to share the experience of a woman engineer who also goes through the development of her ethnic identity. It serves to fill the gap in literature of women engineers and 2nd-generation Turkish-Americans such that this paper exists in the intersection of those fields using a critical analysis to
understand human culture. This study could also help other students/faculty understand the lived experiences first-hand from an engineering student to help create a more inclusive environment.
AU  - Yagmur Onder
CY  - Minneapolis, MN
DA  - 2022/08/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - How Turkish Am I?: A 2nd-Generation Turkish-American Woman’s Identity Navigation Through Mechanical Engineering Education (Diversity)
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/41888
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--41888
ER  -