Understanding the Influence of Work-Integrated Learning Experiences on Students’ Identity Formation in Engineering

Andrea Castillo; Brianna McIntyre; Allison Godwin

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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: Cooperative and Experiential Education Division Technical Session 1
Page Count: 19
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--40668
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/40668
Download Count: 693

Paper Authors

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Andrea Castillo University of California, Irvine

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A.Lili Castillo is a graduating senior at the University of California, Irvine majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Biomedical Engineering. Her research interests include engineering identity formation, high-impact learning experiences, and Latino/a/x & first-generation college student pathways in engineering. Through her research, Castillo hopes to amplify the voices of historically underrepresented populations in engineering to improve the accessibility of engineering education for diverse students. Upon graduating, Castillo will be attending Arizona State University to pursue a Ph.D. in Engineering Education Systems and Design as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow.

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Brianna McIntyre Purdue University at West Lafayette (PPI)

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Dr. Brianna Benedict McIntyre is a research associate in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. She earned her Bachelor's and Master's of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Her research focuses on understanding how hybrid spaces influence engineering students’ identity development, belonging, and agency in interdisciplinary engineering education. She leads the ASEE CDEI virtual workshop team focused on building a community of educators passionate about expanding their knowledge concerning diversity, equity, and inclusion in engineering education.

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Allison Godwin Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE)

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Allison Godwin, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Engineering Education and of Chemical Engineering at Purdue University. She is also the Engineering Workforce Development Director for CISTAR, the Center for Innovative and Strategic Transformation of Alkane Resources, a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center. Her research focuses on how identity, among other affective factors, influences diverse students to choose engineering and persist in engineering. She also studies how different experiences within the practice and culture of engineering foster or hinder belonging and identity development. Dr. Godwin graduated from Clemson University with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and Ph.D. in Engineering and Science Education. Her research earned her a National Science Foundation CAREER Award focused on characterizing latent diversity, which includes diverse attitudes, mindsets, and approaches to learning to understand engineering students’ identity development.

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Abstract

This research paper examined the factors influencing students’ access to work-integrated learning experiences (WILs; i.e., internships and co-operative education). Several studies have examined how WILs enrich students’ academic and career development. Yet, fewer studies examine the considerations associated with who participates in WILs and how these types of experiences shape students’ beliefs about themselves as engineers or their career plans after participation. This study examines the narratives of 25 students who did and did not participate in WILs to understand why students choose to participate in WILs, the considerations and challenges to participating in WILs, and the impact of WILs on students’ identity development. This research used an adapted framework of identity trajectory theory, which consists of three interlocking strands—institutional (i.e., programs, practices, procedures, etc.), networking (i.e., social networks, faculty interactions, etc.), and intellectual (i.e., field of study, learning progression, career trajectories, etc.). We used analysis of narratives to draw out key themes related to how institutional resources and students’ networks facilitate their access to WIL experiences. Analysis also highlighted how WILs affect students’ identity development as engineers during undergraduate education, including their career intentions upon graduation. We identified five big ideas that were expressed by the students to address the research questions. These ideas include: 1) Institutional structures and resources facilitate students’ access to WILs; 2) Students utilize personal and professional networks to improve access to WILs; 3) Various commitments and responsibilities inhibited students' access and engagement with WILs; 4) WILs positively influence latently diverse students’ identity development; 5) Individuals who did not engage in WILs identified supplemental opportunities to support their engineering identity. We highlight how these experiences, or lack thereof, influence students’ perceptions of themselves as future professional engineers. These results have implications for practice and policies in engineering education, particularly enhancing students’ access to WILs and constructing WILs that support students’ identity development.

Citation
Format

Castillo, A., & McIntyre, B., & Godwin, A. (2022, August), Understanding the Influence of Work-Integrated Learning Experiences on Students’ Identity Formation in Engineering Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--40668

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - This research paper examined the factors influencing students’ access to work-integrated learning experiences (WILs; i.e., internships and co-operative education). Several studies have examined how WILs enrich students’ academic and career development. Yet, fewer studies examine the considerations associated with who participates in WILs and how these types of experiences shape students’ beliefs about themselves as engineers or their career plans after participation. This study examines the narratives of 25 students who did and did not participate in WILs to understand why students choose to participate in WILs, the considerations and challenges to participating in WILs, and the impact of WILs on students’ identity development. This research used an adapted framework of identity trajectory theory, which consists of three interlocking strands—institutional (i.e., programs, practices, procedures, etc.), networking (i.e., social networks, faculty interactions, etc.), and intellectual (i.e., field of study, learning progression, career trajectories, etc.). We used analysis of narratives to draw out key themes related to how institutional resources and students’ networks facilitate their access to WIL experiences. Analysis also highlighted how WILs affect students’ identity development as engineers during undergraduate education, including their career intentions upon graduation. We identified five big ideas that were expressed by the students to address the research questions. These ideas include: 1) Institutional structures and resources facilitate students’ access to WILs; 2) Students utilize personal and professional networks to improve access to WILs; 3) Various commitments and responsibilities inhibited students' access and engagement with WILs; 4) WILs positively influence latently diverse students’ identity development; 5) Individuals who did not engage in WILs identified supplemental opportunities to support their engineering identity. We highlight how these experiences, or lack thereof, influence students’ perceptions of themselves as future professional engineers. These results have implications for practice and policies in engineering education, particularly enhancing students’ access to WILs and constructing WILs that support students’ identity development.
AU  - Andrea Castillo
AU  - Brianna McIntyre
AU  - Allison Godwin
CY  - Minneapolis, MN
DA  - 2022/08/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Understanding the Influence of Work-Integrated Learning Experiences on Students’ Identity Formation in Engineering
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/40668
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--40668
ER  -