Racial Microaggressions within the Advisor-advisee Relationship: Implications for Engineering Research, Policy, and Practice

Knight

Roberson

2017

jis

Despite a growing body of work on the experiences of Black collegians, the higher education knowledge base lacks scholarship focused on Black men in graduate programs who are foreign-born and/or identify ethnically as other than African American. In this article, we provide a domain-specific investigation (i.e., based on students’ field of study), centering on nine Black men in engineering graduate programs. Three themes emerged regarding students’ racialized experiences and effects of racialization: (1) racialization as a transitional process; (2) cultural identity (dis)integrity; and (3) racialized imposter syndrome. We conclude with implications for developing and implementing promising practices and activities that aid students throughout graduate school. Such targeted efforts might also improve the likelihood of students remaining in the engineering workforce.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Racializing Experiences of Foreign-Born and Ethnically Diverse Black Male Engineering Graduate Students: Implications for Student Affairs Practice, Policy, and Research

Knight

Roberson

2017

jis

“…As described by Harper and Palmer (2016), racial microaggressions are like "death by a thousand cuts -an individual one stings, but the cumulative sum of them is quite injurious" (p. 150). The effects of racial microaggressions make individuals feel "othered," and often cause psychological stress (Burt, McKen, Burkhart, Hormell, & Knight, 2016;Pierce, 1970;Smith, Yosso, & Solórzano, 2007).…”

Section: Sociological Factors: Racialized Experiences Within Criticalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…And I'm like, "ok." James hesitated to name his advisor's racial microaggressions as belittling, but when James' advisor compared his engineering knowledge to that of Midwestern University sophomores, the implicit message was that James did not have basic, foundational knowledge needed to complete the work of engineers. Racial microaggressions are often described as subtle negative comments or behaviors that are either brief or ongoing (Burt et al, 2016;Pierce, 1970;Smith, Yosso, & Solórzano, 2007;Sue et al, 2007). It could be argued that James' advisor meant no harm, and that his comment was not related to race at all.…”

Section: Faculty Biases As Social Impediments: Feelings Of Othernessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Into the Storm: Ecological and Sociological Impediments to Black Males’ Persistence in Engineering Graduate Programs

American Educational Research Journal

Williams

Smith

2018

118

183

While much is known about how Black students negotiate and navigate undergraduate studies, there is a dearth of research on what happens when these students enter graduate school. This article presents the results of a study of 21 Black male graduate students in engineering from one highly ranked research-intensive institution. This article provides evidence of structurally racialized policies within the engineering college (e.g., admissions) and racialized and gendered interactions with peers and advisors that threaten Black males' persistence in engineering. We argue for taking an anti-deficit approach to understanding Black males' persistence in engineering. We conclude with implications for policy, practice, and research that could further improve the scholarship and experiences of Black males in engineering graduate programs.

“…It suggests, however, that when this process is not well facilitated, and students do not understand the learning behind the process of argumentation, they may misconstrue "grilling" as evidence of a "chilly," "isolating," "competitive," and "hostile" climate, which is well documented in the literature on why students (especially women and students of color) leave STEM fields (Burt et al, 2016;Feldon et al, 2015;Fries-Britt, Burt, and Franklin, 2012;Gasman et al, 2009;Green and Glasson, 2009;Sowell, Allum, and Okahana, 2014).…”

Section: Learning Competencies 27mentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning competencies through engineering research group experiences

2017

SGPE

Purpose In some fields, research group experiences gained in laboratories are more influential than the classroom in shaping graduate students’ research abilities, understandings of post-graduate careers and professional identities. However, little is known about what and how students learn from their research group experiences. This paper aims to explore the learning experiences of engineering graduate students in one chemical engineering research group to determine what students learned and to identify the practices and activities that facilitated their learning. Design/methodology/approach Ethnography was used to observe the experiences of one research group in chemical engineering. Fieldwork included 13 months of observations, 31 formal interviews (16 first-round and 15 second-round interviews) and informal interviews. Fieldnotes and transcriptions were analyzed using grounded theory techniques. Findings Research group members developed four dominant competencies: presenting research, receiving and responding to feedback, solving problems and troubleshooting problems. Students’ learning was facilitated by the practices and activities of the research group (e.g. weekly full group and subgroup meetings) and mediated through the interactions of others (i.e. peers, faculty supervisor and lab manager). Originality/value This study adds to the engineering education literature and contributes to the larger discourse on identifying promising practices and activities that improve student learning in graduate education.