(Un)equal demands and opportunities: Conceptualizing student navigation in undergraduate engineering programs

Abstract

Background

It is well known that earning a bachelor's degree in engineering is a demanding task, but ripe with opportunity. For students from historically excluded demographic groups, this task is exacerbated by oppressive circumstances. Although considerable research has documented how student outcomes differ across demographic groups, much less is known about the dynamic processes that marginalize some students.

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to propose a conceptual model of student navigation in the context of undergraduate engineering programs. Our goal is to illustrate how localized, structural features unjustly shape the demands and opportunities encountered by students and influence how they respond.

Scope/Method

We developed our model using an iterative, four-stage process. This process included (1) clarifying the purpose of the development process; (2) identifying concepts and insights from prior research; (3) synthesizing the concepts and insights into propositions; and (4) visualizing the suspected relationships between the salient constructs in the propositions.

Results

Our model focuses on the dynamic interactions between the characteristics of students, the embedded contexts in which they are situated, and the support infrastructure of their learning environment.

Conclusion

The resulting model illustrates the influence of structural features on how students a) respond to demands and opportunities and b) navigate obstacles present in the learning environment. Although its focus is on marginalized students in undergraduate engineering programs, the model may be applicable to STEM higher education more broadly.