Nonbinary Engineering Students' Access to Resources Through Cis* and Trans* Alters

Adrian Nat Gentry; Julie P. Martin; Kerrie A. Douglas; Eric Holloway; Cole Thompson

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Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM) Technical Session 30
Tagged Division: Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/47805

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Paper Authors

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Adrian Nat Gentry Purdue University

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Adrian Nat Gentry is a Ph.D. canidate at Purdue University in Engineering Education. They completed their undergraduate degree in Materials Engineering from Purdue in May 2020. Adrian’s research interests include assessing student supports in cooperative education programs and the experiences and needs of nonbinary scientists. Adrian is involved with
Purdue’s Engineering Education Graduate Association and is president of the oSTEM chapter at Purdue.

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Julie P. Martin University of Georgia

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Julie P. Martin is the Director of the Engineering Education Transformations Institute at University of Georgia. Julie is a Fellow of ASEE, a member of ASEE's Hall of Fame, and the editor-in-chief of Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering.

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Kerrie A. Douglas Purdue University orcid.org/0000-0002-2693-5272

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Dr. Douglas is an Associate Professor in the Purdue School of Engineering Education. Her research is focused on improving methods of assessment in engineering learning environments and supporting engineering students.

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Eric Holloway Purdue University orcid.org/0000-0002-0343-1709

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Prof. Eric Holloway currently serves as a Professor of Engineering Practice in the School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University. He also holds a courtesy faculty appointment in the School of Engineering Education. His research focuses on assessment development and the professional formation of students.

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Cole Thompson Purdue University

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Cole received their bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from The Ohio State University in 2021. They then worked in industry as a process engineer for one year before deciding to return to school to pursue graduate degrees. Cole is currently a PhD student at Purdue University in the School of Engineering Education. Their research interests include assessing the education experiences of LGBTQ non-binary students and the impacts of outness on resource availability.

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Abstract

Background Nonbinary engineering students (i.e., engineering students that identify as outside of the gender binary) must navigate a cis- and heteronormative society, in addition to a male dominated engineering culture. Nonbinary students in higher education report high levels of minority threat, lower levels of persistence than cisgender peers and lessened feelings of belonging. One avenue for supporting nonbinary students’ persistence in engineering is to increase understanding of the types of individuals that support nonbinary students and the supports available to nonbinary engineering students. For this study, we are utilizing social capital theory and Devor’s witnessing and mirroring framework to explore the supports nonbinary engineering students access through their social networks and how those supports impact persistence. Social capital, the resources embedded into social relationships, has been used as both an indicator and outcome in relation to students’ well-being, belonging, academic success, and persistence. Devor’s witnessing and mirroring framework brings greater meaning to the value of transgender and cisgender alters in a nonbinary engineers’ network. Specifically, how cisgender alters witness a nonbinary person’s identity as an outsider to gender nonconformity and how transgender alters mirror a nonbinary person’s experience as an insider to gender nonconformity.

Purpose The purpose of this work in progress is to identify supports that are impactful on nonbinary engineering students’ persistence in their majors and careers. Specifically, we ask the questions: 1) What supports do alters, of differing genders, provide that witness and mirror nonbinary engineers; 2) to what extent are supports provided by alters impactful on students' success in their majors and careers?

Methodology/approach We purposely selected 4 nonbinary engineering students to interview from a larger study on engineering students’ social capital and professional skills. Nonbinary engineering students were asked about their experiences of being nonbinary in engineering spaces, the support they received from cisgender and transgender alters and the impact of that support on their persistence in engineering. We analyzed the themes in the interviews by coding the alters mentioned, the types of supports provided (mirroring, witnessing, expressive and instrumental) and the impact of supports on persistence.

Future Work & Implications The finding of this study will contribute to a greater understanding of the social capital and social networks of nonbinary students, as there is dearth of research on their experiences in engineering spaces. This work can guide our understanding of the supports that nonbinary engineering students have available to them and perhaps more importantly, the supports they do not have available to them. The findings from this study will be used to inform organizational and institutional policies to support engineering students in accessing more social capital.

Citation
Format

Gentry, A. N., & Martin, J. P., & Douglas, K. A., & Holloway, E., & Thompson, C. (2024, June), Nonbinary Engineering Students' Access to Resources Through Cis* and Trans* Alters Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/47805

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Background
Nonbinary engineering students (i.e., engineering students that identify as outside of the gender binary) must navigate a cis- and heteronormative society, in addition to a male dominated engineering culture. Nonbinary students in higher education report high levels of minority threat, lower levels of persistence than cisgender peers and lessened feelings of belonging. One avenue for supporting nonbinary students’ persistence in engineering is to increase understanding of the types of individuals that support nonbinary students and the supports available to nonbinary engineering students. For this study, we are utilizing social capital theory and Devor’s witnessing and mirroring framework to explore the supports nonbinary engineering students access through their social networks and how those supports impact persistence. Social capital, the resources embedded into social relationships, has been used as both an indicator and outcome in relation to students’ well-being, belonging, academic success, and persistence. Devor’s witnessing and mirroring framework brings greater meaning to the value of transgender and cisgender alters in a nonbinary engineers’ network. Specifically, how cisgender alters witness a nonbinary person’s identity as an outsider to gender nonconformity and how transgender alters mirror a nonbinary person’s experience as an insider to gender nonconformity. 

Purpose
The purpose of this work in progress is to identify supports that are impactful on nonbinary engineering students’ persistence in their majors and careers. Specifically, we ask the questions: 1) What supports do alters, of differing genders, provide that witness and mirror nonbinary engineers; 2) to what extent are supports provided by alters impactful on students&#39; success in their majors and careers?

Methodology/approach
We purposely selected 4 nonbinary engineering students to interview from a larger study on engineering students’ social capital and professional skills. Nonbinary engineering students were asked about their experiences of being nonbinary in engineering spaces, the support they received from cisgender and transgender alters and the impact of that support on their persistence in engineering. We analyzed the themes in the interviews by coding the alters mentioned, the types of supports provided (mirroring, witnessing, expressive and instrumental) and the impact of supports on persistence. 

Future Work &amp;amp; Implications
The finding of this study will contribute to a greater understanding of the social capital and social networks of nonbinary students, as there is dearth of research on their experiences in engineering spaces. This work can guide our understanding of the supports that nonbinary engineering students have available to them and perhaps more importantly, the supports they do not have available to them. The findings from this study will be used to inform organizational and institutional policies to support engineering students in accessing more social capital.

AU  - Adrian Nat Gentry
AU  - Julie P. Martin
AU  - Kerrie A. Douglas
AU  - Eric Holloway
AU  - Cole Thompson
CY  - Portland, Oregon
DA  - 2024/06/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Nonbinary Engineering Students' Access to Resources Through Cis* and Trans* Alters
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/47805
ER  -