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Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering

Published 6 issues per year

ISSN Print: 1072-8325

ISSN Online: 1940-431X

SJR: 0.514 SNIP: 0.875 CiteScore™:: 2.4 H-Index: 27

Indexed in

SHAPING AUTONOMOUS DECISION MAKERS: FAMILIAL INFLUENCE ON PERSISTING FIRST GENERATION COLLEGE ENGINEERING STUDENTS

Volume 23, Issue 1, 2017, pp. 53-71
DOI: 10.1615/JWomenMinorScienEng.2017016316
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ABSTRACT

Researchers recognize generational status in college as a noteworthy factor in understanding the barriers, supports, resources, and decision-making processes of engineering undergraduates. Using a constructivist grounded theory methodology and critical incident technique, this study explores the influences that first generation college (FGC) students ascribe to their families as they decide to select and remain in an engineering major. These influences are distinct despite parental lack of specific "college knowledge." Findings yielded a description of relationships among concepts (theory) uncovered (grounded) in the data. Families served as sounding boards by posing questions and reflecting the importance of those answers. They inspired their children's motivational dialogue and instilled an overt expectation to seek fulfillment in their chosen path in engineering. Families provided significant emotional support and assistance with college admission and financial decisions necessary for completing participants' pursuit of an engineering degree. The authors present practical implications for families, engineering educators, and other educators that have the potential to impact retention of FGC engineering undergraduates.

CITED BY
  1. Groen Cassandra, Simmons Denise, McNair Lisa, An Introduction to Grounded Theory: Choosing and Implementing an Emergent Method, 2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings, 2017. Crossref

  2. Puccia Ellen, Martin Julie P., Smith Chrystal A. S., Kersaint Gladis, Campbell-Montalvo Rebecca, Wao Hesborn, Lee Reginald, Skvoretz John, MacDonald George, The influence of expressive and instrumental social capital from parents on women and underrepresented minority students’ declaration and persistence in engineering majors, International Journal of STEM Education, 8, 1, 2021. Crossref

Forthcoming Articles

Mitigating Barriers, Scaffolding Success: Institutional Supports for Black Undergraduate Women in Engineering Programs Meseret Hailu, Neelakshi Rajeev Tewari, Brooke Coley Underrepresented Students Pursuing Mathematics-Intensive Degrees: Changes after Transitioning to College Alison Marzocchi What do STEM Clubs do? The Effect of College Club Participation on Career Confidence and Gender Inclusion Guillermo Dominguez Garcia, Jennifer Glass Validating Practices and Messages that Promote Women’s Engineering Classroom Belongingness: An Intersectional Approach Dina Verdin, A Lili Castillo Examining the Role of Institutional Support on International Doctoral Women’s STEM Persistence and Mental Health Aisha Farra, Aashika Anantharaman, Sarah Swanson, Kerrie Wilkins-Yel, Jennifer Bekki, Nedim Yel, Ashley Randall, Bianca Bernstein Searching for safe space: Student veterans’ uneven pathways to STEM careers by race Brittany Hunt, Jae Hoon Lim Does Race, Ethnicity or Gender of the Mentor Affect Whether They Will be a “Good Mentor”? A Qualitative Analysis of Students’ Perceptions Reuben May, Christine Stanley, America Soto-Arzat, Jennifer Ackerman PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY AND TEAM MEMBER EFFECTIVENESS OF MINORITIZED STUDENTS IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION Behzad Beigpourian, Matthew Ohland Perceptions of Department Chair Roles and Responsibilities in Career Progression and Success of Women STEM Faculty Stephanie Jones, Patricia Ryan Pal “Barbed-Wire Boundaries”: Hidden Curriculum, First-Generation and Low-Income Engineering Students, and Internship Acquisition Jerry Yang, Joseph Towles, Sheri Sheppard, Sara Atwood “I Want to Make an Impact”: The Science Identity and Career Goals of Black and Latinx Science and Engineering Postdoctoral Scholars Sylvia Mendez, Kathryn Watson, Kathryn Starkey, Valerie Conley Care Work, Science Brokering, and Career Motivations: How Hispanic/Latinx Young Adults in STEM Express Social Agency during the COVID-19 Pandemic Angela Frederick, Angelica Monarrez, Danielle Morales Bridging the gap: A sequential mixed methods study of trust networks in graduate application, admissions, and enrollment Cynthia Villarreal, Julie Posselt, Theresa Hernandez, Alexander Rudolph
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