Collaborative Research: An Intersectional Perspective to Studying Microagressions in Engineering Programs

这项研究的动机是，在工科教育中，性别和少数族裔的代表性一直很低，试图研究学生在工科项目中经历的微妙行为或微侵略性。虽然微攻击性行为在少数族裔学生中尤其常见，但它们对学生在工科项目中的成功和坚持不懈的影响一直没有得到充分的研究。这项研究调查了微攻击性对工科学生体验的影响，并将他们在以白人为主的机构(爱荷华州立大学)和历史上以黑人为主的大学(北卡罗来纳州A&A；T)的背景下进行了比较。该项目将通过提高人们对工程学学生在大学期间经历的微妙行为的认识，有助于使工程学课程多样化。创造一个少数族裔学生感到安全和包容的环境，可以培养出一支有竞争力的劳动力队伍，通过整合所有学生群体的需求和观点，最终将对我们的社会产生积极影响。这项研究使用将种族和性别认同视为独特身份的交叉视角，提出了问题：“性别和种族微侵略性如何影响学生在工程项目上的成功和坚持不懈？”为了回答这个问题，本研究提出了四个主要目标：(1)确定工科学生在认同为白人男性、白人女性、非裔美国男性、非裔美国女性、拉丁裔男性、拉丁裔女性、亚裔男性和亚裔女性时所经历的性别和种族微攻击；(2)基于两种制度背景建立性别和种族微攻击心理测量量表；(3)在PWI和HBCU的背景下测试性别和种族微攻击与成功和持久性指标(自我效能感、机构从属关系、心理健康和学业表现)之间的关系；以及(4)对比和比较两个机构内和跨机构的性别和种族微攻击性的学生经历。这项研究通过确定经历过微攻击的学生的真实故事，以及建立性别和种族微攻击的衡量标准，推进了关于微攻击的知识体系。重要的是，这个项目阐明了微攻击性需要从交叉的角度来研究，并考虑学生基于种族和性别的独特身份。此外，这项研究还促进了对学生微攻击体验的机构背景(PWI与HBCU)的了解。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The research is motivated by the persistently low representation of gender and racial minorities in engineering education and seeks to study the subtle behaviors, or microaggressions, that students experience in engineering programs. While microaggressions are especially frequent among minority students, their influence on student success and persistence in engineering programs has been understudied. This research investigates the effect of microaggressions on the experiences of engineering students and compares them in the context of a predominantly white institutions (Iowa State University) and a historically black college (North Carolina A&T). The project will contribute to diversifying engineering programs through increased awareness of the subtle behaviors that engineering students experience in college. Creating an environment where minority students feel safe and included allow educating a competitive workforce which will ultimately positively impact our society by incorporating the needs and perspectives of all student groups.Using an intersectional perspective that considers race and gender identities as unique identities, this research asks "How do gender and race microaggressions affect students' success and persistence in engineering programs?" To answer this question, this research proposes to address four primary goals: (1) identify gender and race microaggressions experienced by engineering students who identify as White men, White women, African-American men, African-American women, Latino men, Latina women, Asian men and Asian women; (2) build a gender and race microaggressions psychometric scale based on two institutional contexts; (3) test the relationship between gender and race microaggressions and success and persistence indicators (self-efficacy, institutional affiliation, psychological well-being and academic performance) in the context of a PWI and a HBCU; and (4) contrast and compare student experiences with gender and race microaggressions within and across the two institutional contexts. The research advances the body of knowledge on microaggressions by identifying the real stories of students who experience them and by building measures of gender and race microaggressions. Importantly, this project clarifies that microaggressions need to be studied from an intersectional perspective and consider students' unique identity based on both race and gender. Additionally, the study advances knowledge regarding institutional contexts (PWI vs. HBCU) for students' experiences with microaggressions.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.