Work in Progress: Intersection of Race and Gender on Experiences of Undergraduate Engineering Students of Color in Positional Leadership Roles

Carmen M. Lilley

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Conference: 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access
Location: Virtual On line
Publication Date: June 22, 2020
Start Date: June 22, 2020
End Date: June 26, 2021
Conference Session: Sense of Belonging and Diversity in Engineering Programs, Courses, and Teams
Tagged Division: Educational Research and Methods
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 6
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--35657
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/35657
Download Count: 469

Paper Authors

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Carmen M. Lilley University of Illinois at Chicago

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Dr. Lilley’s research interests in engineering education focus on professional development of engineering students at the undergraduate and graduate level. In particular, she is interested in the nuances of how the intersection of race/ethnicity with gender affects professional development in the area of leadership and the long term career trajectory of an individual. Her other research interests are focused on syntheses of low dimensions materials and the characterization and modeling of their material properties.

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Abstract

Theoretical Framework The theoretical framework for the analysis is to use intersectionality of critical race theory and specifically focusing on the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender. Thus, questions for the interview guide were developed in consultation with two social scientists with expertise on race and gender; as well as consulting two underrepresented minority undergraduate engineering students, one male and one female, who were leaders in their engineering societies and who did not take part in the study. The research included students who self-identified, meaning they were asked if they had prior or current experience in leadership roles as a student and if they answered in the affirmative, they were included in the recruitment pool and the research was approved by the institution review board for human subject research. This research aims to addressing the knowledge gap on professional development of leadership skills by researching the following questions: What are the leadership experiences of undergraduate engineering students? What factors act as stressors which may negatively impact their resilience or perseverance to be leaders? Within this paper, the author will present the results on identity, leadership skills and attributes and propose where negative stressors act on the experiences in positional leadership roles for undergraduate engineering students.

Methods This research was conducted using a constructivism paradigm to frame the research to explore how existing structures of power among students in an academic environment result in different factors that affect leadership development of undergraduate engineering students. Narratives were collected using one-on-one interview to elicited differences in perspectives within social subgroups that are outside of the dominant group (i.e. White males) for engineering professions. Grounded Theory as the conceptual framework used in analysis of these interviews using Charmaz’s approach for performing the analysis of the qualitative interviews. Questions for the interview guide were developed in consultation with two social scientists with expertise on race and gender; as well as consulting two underrepresented minority undergraduate engineering students, one male and one female, who were leaders in their engineering societies and who did not take part in the study.

Discussion Using Grounded Theory by Charmaz, the interviews were coded line-by-line using gerunds and the constant comparative method was used to develop a code book during the focused coding phase. From the focused coding, constructs, i.e. categories, were developed. Analytical memos were also concurrently maintained during the coding processes. Axial coding, again using intersectionality and more specifically an intercategory approach, was done after the initial focused coding was completed. From the category development, the types of external stressors and the negative adaptation methods of the students were studied and the effects on motivation and perseverance in organizational leadership were conceptually modeled on the individual level.

Citation
Format

Lilley, C. M. (2020, June), Work in Progress: Intersection of Race and Gender on Experiences of Undergraduate Engineering Students of Color in Positional Leadership Roles Paper presented at 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual On line . 10.18260/1-2--35657

TY - CPAPER
AB - Theoretical Framework
The theoretical framework for the analysis is to use intersectionality of critical race theory and specifically focusing on the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender. Thus, questions for the interview guide were developed in consultation with two social scientists with expertise on race and gender; as well as consulting two underrepresented minority undergraduate engineering students, one male and one female, who were leaders in their engineering societies and who did not take part in the study. The research included students who self-identified, meaning they were asked if they had prior or current experience in leadership roles as a student and if they answered in the affirmative, they were included in the recruitment pool and the research was approved by the institution review board for human subject research. This research aims to addressing the knowledge gap on professional development of leadership skills by researching the following questions: What are the leadership experiences of undergraduate engineering students? What factors act as stressors which may negatively impact their resilience or perseverance to be leaders?
Within this paper, the author will present the results on identity, leadership skills and attributes and propose where negative stressors act on the experiences in positional leadership roles for undergraduate engineering students.

Methods
This research was conducted using a constructivism paradigm to frame the research to explore how existing structures of power among students in an academic environment result in different factors that affect leadership development of undergraduate engineering students. Narratives were collected using one-on-one interview to elicited differences in perspectives within social subgroups that are outside of the dominant group (i.e. White males) for engineering professions. Grounded Theory as the conceptual framework used in analysis of these interviews using Charmaz’s approach for performing the analysis of the qualitative interviews. Questions for the interview guide were developed in consultation with two social scientists with expertise on race and gender; as well as consulting two underrepresented minority undergraduate engineering students, one male and one female, who were leaders in their engineering societies and who did not take part in the study.

Discussion
Using Grounded Theory by Charmaz, the interviews were coded line-by-line using gerunds and the constant comparative method was used to develop a code book during the focused coding phase. From the focused coding, constructs, i.e. categories, were developed. Analytical memos were also concurrently maintained during the coding processes. Axial coding, again using intersectionality and more specifically an intercategory approach, was done after the initial focused coding was completed. From the category development, the types of external stressors and the negative adaptation methods of the students were studied and the effects on motivation and perseverance in organizational leadership were conceptually modeled on the individual level.

AU - Carmen M. Lilley
CY - Virtual On line
DA - 2020/06/22
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Work in Progress: Intersection of Race and Gender on Experiences of Undergraduate Engineering Students of Color in Positional Leadership Roles
UR - https://peer.asee.org/35657
DO - 10.18260/1-2--35657
ER -