Tampa, Florida
June 15, 2019
June 15, 2019
June 19, 2019
ERM Technical Session 2: The Study of Identity in Engineering Education
Educational Research and Methods
Diversity
15
10.18260/1-2--33133
https://peer.asee.org/33133
640
I am an undergraduate psychology major anticipating graduation in December of 2019. I am
a member of the Beyond Professional Identity research group based in Harding University located in
Searcy, Arkansas. I plan to further my studies in psychology through attending a graduate program for school or child psychology. It is my hope that these processes can lead to a career as both a researcher and practitioner.
Dr. James Huff is an Assistant Professor of Engineering Education and teaches courses in design thinking and ethics. In the context of his research lab Beyond Professional Identity (BPI), he mentors undergraduate students, doctoral students, and academic professionals in using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) as a qualitative research method to conduct psychological investigations on identity as experienced in and out of professional domains. He received his Ph.D. in Engineering Education and M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Purdue University. Dr. Huff also received his B.S. in Computer Engineering from Harding University
Dr. Nicola Sochacka is the Associate Director for Research Initiation and Enablement in the Engineering Education Transformations Institute (EETI) in the College of Engineering at the University of Georgia. Her research interests include interpretive research quality, systems thinking, diversity, STEAM (STEM + Art) education, and the role of empathy in engineering education and practice. Her work has been recognized through multiple best paper awards and keynote presentations at international and national conferences and workshops.
Dr. Joachim Walther is an Associate Professor of engineering education research at the University of Georgia and the Founding Director of the Engineering Education Transformations Institute (EETI) in the College of Engineering. The Engineering Education Transformations Institute at UGA is an innovative approach that fuses high quality engineering education research with systematic educational innovation to transform the educational practices and cultures of engineering. Dr. Walther’s research group, the Collaborative Lounge for Understanding Society and Technology through Educational Research (CLUSTER), is a dynamic interdisciplinary team that brings together professors, graduate, and undergraduate students from engineering, art, educational psychology, and social work in the context of fundamental educational research. Dr. Walther’s research program spans interpretive research methodologies in engineering education, the professional formation of engineers, the role of empathy and reflection in engineering learning, and student development in interdisciplinary and interprofessional spaces.
Benjamin Okai is a Postdoctoral Research Associate and an instructor at Harding University. By profession, I'm a counselor educator and supervisor with a strong motivation and active engagement in scholarship and research in psychosocial studies simply because through these academic professional endeavors my professional growth and development can be enhanced, contribute to the body of research in psychology and social sciences, develop a strong network with colleagues in academia and research, broaden my knowledge base, engage in evidence-based practices to promote the quality of life, and ultimately be an avid contributor to the world of academia through research, peer reviews, and publications.
This research paper presents the findings of an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) case study of the experience of shame in a woman engineering student. Our overarching research question that framed this study was: How do woman students with multiple salient identities psychologically experience shame in the context of engineering education? We present findings derived from in-depth analysis of an interview with a single case: A White, female student-athlete who majored in mechanical engineering at a private, liberal arts university (pseudonym: Nicole). We selected Nicole as a case in order to critically examine the tensions experienced among multiple salient identities in women engineering students. The findings demonstrate how the study participant internally negotiated the expectations of others with her own self-concept. That is to say, in reaction to a shame experience, the participant evaluated and often adjusted the value she ascribed to the expectations of others and the ways in which those expectations fit into her core identity. Overall, the findings provide a sensitive description with which connections can be forged between broader discussions of engineering education and how cultural expectations manifest within the lived experience of the individual student.
Sharbine, M. B., & Huff, J. L., & Sochacka, N. W., & Walther, J., & Okai, B. (2019, June), Negotiating Identity as a Response to Shame: A Study of Shame within an Experience as a Woman in Engineering Paper presented at 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Tampa, Florida. 10.18260/1-2--33133
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