ERIC Number: ED630537
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 304
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-3684-2804-8
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Intersectionality of Black Women Engineering Students Attending a Predominantly White Institution
Moorer, Patrice Robinson
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, The University of West Florida
Historically marginalized social identities of race and gender, coupled with established power structures, have contributed to the underrepresentation of Black women engineering students in a White male-dominated discipline. The National Science Foundation (NSF, 2019) reported that Black women represent a disproportionately lower number of graduates, holding steady from 2008 to 2018 at 1% of engineering bachelor's degree recipients. The purpose of this qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study using intersectionality as a theoretical framework was to explore the intersectional experiences of Black women engineering students attending a predominantly White institution (PWI) in the Southeastern United States. Intersectionality theory comprises three constructs (structural, representational, political) that describe the impact of established institutions of power at the convergence of marginalized overlapping social identities. The selection of four undergraduate Black women in engineering majors and the identification of a PWI as the study site supported homogeneous purposeful sampling. Findings from the study revealed that students experienced visibility (being seen and heard) by peers when acknowledged for intellectual contributions; racially gendered hypervisibility (unwanted attention) as determinants of academic and social inclusion; and instances of insufficient educational, racial or cultural support to combat negative racially gendered stereotypes that reinforce invisibility. This study can inform higher education leaders on strategies to broaden the participation of Black women in the engineering discipline. Future research should explore the effectiveness of policy and structural changes implemented to foster the inclusion of Black women engineering students attending a PWI. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Females, Blacks, African American Students, Engineering Education, Intersectionality, Predominantly White Institutions, Undergraduate Students, Recognition (Achievement), Student Experience, Racial Factors, Inclusion
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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