Collaborative Proposal: Pathways of Blacks and Hispanics in Engineering Education

霍华德大学和佛罗里达国际大学计划与合作伙伴草原视图A M大学和波多黎各-马亚圭斯大学进行一项大型的、经验性的、为期三年的合作研究。拟议的研究将考虑持久性和身份因素在本科工程教育的学生在这四个少数民族服务机构（MSIs）。也就是说，研究人员将研究学生的文化和种族对工程身份发展的影响，以及先前确定的持久性因素的重要性（即，自信心，对工程的态度，教学质量等）少数族裔学生在他们占多数的机构中的流失。本项目旨在解决学术路径研究的短期问题，其中包括两位研究小组成员。保留理论和社会认知职业生涯理论为研究提供了理论基础，团队将探索其相对于学生体验的演变和现状。项目组将利用三角混合方法研究设计来收集和分析数据。也就是说，调查将用于收集定量数据，个人和焦点小组访谈的组合将提供定性数据。该项目直接解决扩大工程教育的参与，重点是（1）确定MSIs与主要白色机构的环境因素如何有助于少数民族学生的学术和职业成果，以及（2）确定历史上黑人学院和大学（HBCU）之间的潜在差异，在西班牙裔服务机构（HSIs）和HSIs和HBCUs之间。拟议的工作有可能影响学者如何对待少数民族学生的研究，以及他们如何概念化和研究MSIs，在大学生的学习中经常被边缘化的环境。事实上，MSI产生了相当大比例的黑人和西班牙裔STEM学位，增加了这项工作的相关性和潜在影响。从更广泛的意义上说，该项目考虑了学生成绩和坚持STEM的背景的相关性，这是所有学生教育中的一个重要问题。

Howard University and Florida International University plan a large, empirical, three year collaborative research study with partners Prairie View A&M University and University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. The proposed research will consider persistence and identity factors in undergraduate engineering education of students at these four Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). That is, the researchers will examine the impact of students' culture and ethnicity on the development of engineering identity and the importance of previously identified persistence factors (i.e., self-confidence, attitudes toward engineering, quality of instruction, etc.) on minority student attrition in institutions where they are the majority. This project seeks to address short-comings of the Academic Pathways Study, which included two of the PIs as members of the research team.Retention theory and social cognitive career theory provide the theoretical underpinnings of the study and the team will explore their evolution and current status relative to student experiences. The project team will utilize a triangulated mixed methods research design to collect and analyze data. That is, surveys will be used to collect quantitative data and a mix of individual and focus group interviews will provide qualitative data. The project directly addresses broadening participation in engineering education with a unique focus on (1) identifying how environmental factors at MSIs versus Predominately White Institutions contribute to academic and career outcomes for minority students and (2) determining potential differences in outcomes among Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), among Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) and between HSIs and HBCUs.The proposed work has the potential to influence how scholars approach the study of ethnic minority students, as well as how they conceptualize and study MSIs, settings that often are marginalized in the study of college students. The fact that MSIs produce a substantial proportion of Black and Hispanic STEM degrees increases the relevance and potential impact of this work. In a broader sense this project considers the relevance of context in student achievement and persistence in STEM, which is a significant issue in the education of all students.