Engineering while Black: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of Black males' construction and negotiation of engineering identity

Abstract

Background

Despite ongoing efforts to broaden the participation of Black males in engineering, historical data point to a stagnation in their engineering bachelor's degree attainment. Furthermore, the relative dearth of literature that centers the voices of Black male engineering students has limited the propagation of positive change in producing more Black engineers.

Purpose

Given links between engineering identity and educational outcomes, such as persistence in engineering, we engaged engineering role identity to sensitize ourselves to themes that might emerge during the study of how Black male undergraduate engineering students constructed and negotiated their identities as engineers.

Design/Method

Guided by interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), we conducted semi-structured interviews with seven Black male engineering undergraduates to explore the following question: How do Black males construct and negotiate their engineering identities?

Results

We inductively developed three themes, namely “Identity as Others,” “Identity as Validators,” and “Identity as Representatives for All.”

Conclusions

Findings highlight the psychological costs that these Black males experienced and how their racial and engineering identities were inseparable—what we describe as “Engineering While Black.” At the same time, navigating engineering classrooms and workspaces demanded ongoing negotiation that cultivated a sense of agency and empowered participants to define and assert their identities on their own terms.