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

这项研究的动机是由于工程教育中性别和种族少数群体的代表性一直很低，并试图研究学生在工程项目中经历的微妙行为或微侵犯。虽然微侵犯在少数族裔学生中尤为常见，但它们对学生在工程项目中的成功和坚持的影响尚未得到充分研究。本研究调查了微侵犯对工程专业学生经历的影响，并在白人占主导地位的机构（爱荷华州立大学）和历史上的黑人大学（北卡罗来纳农工学院）的背景下进行了比较。该项目将通过提高对工科学生在大学里经历的微妙行为的认识，为工程学课程的多样化做出贡献。创造一个让少数族裔学生感到安全和包容的环境，可以培养出有竞争力的劳动力，通过整合所有学生群体的需求和观点，最终对我们的社会产生积极影响。本研究采用将种族和性别身份视为独特身份的交叉视角，提出“性别和种族微侵犯如何影响学生在工程项目中的成功和坚持？”为了回答这个问题，本研究提出了四个主要目标：(1)识别认同为白人男性、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、亚洲男性和亚洲女性的工科学生所经历的性别和种族微侵犯；(2)构建基于两种制度背景的性别和种族微侵犯心理测量量表；(3)在PWI和HBCU背景下，检验性别、种族微侵犯与成功和坚持指标（自我效能感、机构隶属、心理健康和学业成绩）的关系；(4)对比和比较两种制度背景下性别和种族微侵犯的学生经历。该研究通过识别经历过微侵犯的学生的真实故事，并通过建立性别和种族微侵犯的衡量标准，推进了微侵犯的知识体系。重要的是，这个项目澄清了微观侵犯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，该研究还促进了有关机构背景（PWI与HBCU）对学生微侵犯经历的了解。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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.