The correlation between undergraduate student diversity and the representation of women of color faculty in engineering

Abstract

Background: Despite the critical role of faculty diversity in the persistence and academic experiences of undergraduate students as well as in the development of engineering innovations, women of color (WoC) faculty are still underrepresented in engineering programs across the United States. Purpose/Hypothesis: This study identifies whether the demographic composition of undergraduate engineering students is correlated with the representation of WoC faculty. It also highlights the institutional-and departmental-level factors that contribute to the race-gender diversification of the engineering professoriate. Design/Method: Informed by organizational demography as the theoretical framework, the methods include linear and logit regression analyses. Data come from the American Society for Engineering Education, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, and the American Community Survey, and include engineering departmental-level observations across 345 institutions over 12 years. Results: Engineering departments that award more bachelor's degrees to women African American/Black undergraduate students are more likely to employ relatively more African American/Black women faculty. This positive relationship is also found among Asian Americans and Hispanics/Latinas. Conclusions: Research findings demonstrate the relationship between engineering undergraduate composition, as well as other departmental-and institutional-level factors, and the prevalence of WoC faculty. The findings highlight important areas for stakeholders and academic administrators to consider when developing strategies and programs to diversify the composition of engineering faculty.

Trends in the underrepresentation of women of color faculty in engineering (2005–2018).

“…Consequently, the persistence of WoC faculty in engineering has important implications for the number of WoC students completing degrees in engineering and eventually pursuing faculty roles. Consistent with Main, Tan, et al (2020), our results highlight the lack of WoC PhDs in engineering fields, suggesting that to increase This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.…”

“…Yet, the participation of WoC in the engineering professoriate is critical to promoting diversity efforts because WoC are role models and mentors to WoC graduate and undergraduate students in engineering. Main, Tan, et al (2020), for example, demonstrated that the prevalence of WoC faculty is associated with the prevalence of WoC undergraduate students in engineering. Consequently, the persistence of WoC faculty in engineering has important implications for the number of WoC students completing degrees in engineering and eventually pursuing faculty roles.…”

Choosing an engineering major: A conceptual model of student pathways into engineering

“…Previous studies have identified a wide range of factors that are associated with student major choice. In general, these factors can be organized into three main categories: individual characteristics and factors, social influences, and structural factors (e.g., Adelman, 1998;Blickenstaff, 2005;Cruz & Kellam, 2018;Darolia et al, 2020;Griffith & Main, 2021;Johnson & Sheppard, 2004;Lent et al, 2008;Main et al, 2015;Main, Darolia, et al, 2017;Main & Ost, 2011, 2014Main, Tan, et al, 2020;Main, Xu, et al, 2017;Marra et al, 2012;Matusovich et al, 2010;Ong et al, 2011;Seymour & Hewitt, 1997;Tan et al, 2021;Tonso, 1999Tonso, , 2006Tsui, 2010). Individual characteristics can include student demographic characteristics, academic achievement, motivation, and identity, whereas structural factors can include high school characteristics, high school geographical location, and the availability of math and science courses.…”

“…Subsequent work has examined the role of social influences such as peers, teachers, and family members as determinants of major choice (e.g., Carnasciali et al, 2013;Cruz & Kellam, 2018;Godwin et al, 2014;Griffith & Main, 2021;Main et al, 2018;Main, Tan, et al, 2020). Indeed, Godwin et al (2014) showed that students with family members, particularly siblings, who are engineers are more likely to choose engineering than those without.…”

An Intersectional Approach to Investigating Persistence Among Women of Color Tenure-Track Engineering Faculty

“…While scholars have explored the culture and climate of engineering environments as hostile or unwelcoming for future WOC faculty (e.g., Robinson et al, 2016), less attention has been given to why WOC continue to seek faculty positions and why they remain in the academy. Many reports that focus on improving the number of women faculty in engineering do not specifically focus on women of color or intersectionality, missing out on crucial research that could assist with WOC recruitment and retention (e.g., Main et al, 2020). At the same time, there are few empirical studies that describe WOC faculty in STEM fields (cf., Ong et al, 2011Ong et al, , 2018.…”