The Influence of Connecting Funds of Knowledge to Beliefs about Performance, Classroom Belonging, and Graduation Certainty for First-generation College Students

Verdín, Dina; Smith, Jessica; Lucena, Juan

doi:10.18260/1-2--35343

Cited by 5 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 32 publications

(36 reference statements)

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“…Specifically, students' home tinkering knowledge supported their interest in engineering and perception of their abilities to perform well and understand engineering course material. This finding builds on our previous research, which demonstrated that this fund of knowledge directly supported first-generation college students' certainty of graduating (Verdin et al, 2020). Our previous study also found that tinkering knowledge supported their beliefs about doing well in engineering coursework, which in turn helped their certainty of majoring in engineering (Verdin et al, 2020).…”

Section: Tinkering Knowledge From Homesupporting

confidence: 86%

“…Becoming a certain kind of person (e.g., by forming an engineering role identity) is critical in helping college students to sustain motivation and engagement in the process of learning (National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, 2018). Ample studies have documented how an engineering identity supports students' intentions to choose a major in engineering (Godwin & Kirn, 2020), supports persistence beliefs (Jones et al, 2013; Patrick et al, 2018; Verdín, 2021a, 2021b), bolsters confidence in their choice of major (Verdín & Godwin, 2021; Verdín, Godwin, Sonnert, & Sadler, 2018), and helps them pursue an engineering industry‐related career (Verdín & Godwin, 2017). More recently, Verdín (2024) found that Latinx students' engineering role identity positively impacted their perceptions of their future career outcomes, which encompassed beliefs about obtaining their desired engineering job and succeeding in their chosen career.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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First‐generation college students' funds of knowledge support the development of an engineering role identity

Verdín,

Smith,

Lucena

2024

J of Engineering Edu

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BackgroundIdentifying as an engineer is essential for belonging and student success, yet the social context and professional norms make it more difficult for some students to establish an identity as an engineer.Purpose/HypothesisThis study investigated whether first‐generation college students' funds of knowledge supported their engineering role identity.Design/MethodsData came from a survey administered across the United States western, southern, and mountain regions in the fall semester of 2018. Only the sample of students who indicated they were the first in their families to attend college was used in the analysis (n = 378). Structural equation modeling was used to understand how first‐generation college students' funds of knowledge supported their engineering role identity; measurement invariance was examined to ensure that the model was valid for women and men alike.ResultsFirst‐generation college students' funds of knowledge individually supported the components of the engineering role identity development process. Tinkering knowledge from home and perspective‐taking helped inform interest and performance/competence beliefs. First‐generation college students' bids for external recognition were supported through their mediational skills, their connecting experiences, and their local network of college friends. The bundle of advice, resources, and emotional support from family members was the only fund of knowledge that directly supported students' perceptions of themselves as engineers.ConclusionsThe relationships we established between first‐generation college students' funds of knowledge and emerging engineering role identities call for engineering educators to integrate students' funds of knowledge into engineering learning and to broaden disciplinary norms of what counts as engineering‐relevant knowledge.

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Section: Tinkering Knowledge From Homesupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First‐generation college students' funds of knowledge support the development of an engineering role identity

Verdín,

Smith,

Lucena

2024

J of Engineering Edu

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“…Additionally, Museus et al (2017) documented that students' sense of belonging was supported through four culturally engaging elements, (1) when students felt that "their cultural knowledge, backgrounds, and identities were valued"; (2) students' ability to connect with faculty members, staff, or peers with similar backgrounds and experiences; (3) when institutional agents made information about opportunities and support resources more visible to students; and (4) establishing trust with one faculty or staff member (p. 192). Scholars have drawn awareness to the disconnect between engineering courses and students' ability to connect and leverage their household and cultural knowledge systems to their learning (Smith & Lucena, 2016;Verdín, Smith, & Lucena, 2019;Verdín et al, 2020). Thus, finding ways to incorporate students' household and cultural knowledge systems into engineering may provide an opportunity for minoritized women to develop a sense of belonging.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bandura (1997) argues that self-efficacy beliefs at an early age are task-specific and as individuals mature, overtime, self-efficacy beliefs become more generalized in a given domain. The relationship between students' self-efficacy beliefs and academic persistence has had mixed results, with some studies demonstrating significant relationships (e.g., Bettencourt et al, 2020;Brown et al, 2008;Hackett et al, 1992;Lent et al, 1986;Multon et al, 1991;Verdín et al, 2020) and other studies demonstrating no significant relationships, direct or indirect (e.g., Lee et al, 2015;Patrick et al, 2018). Interestingly, in the present study, beliefs about one's ability to understand engineering content material and its relationship with persistence beliefs were contingent on group membership.…”

Section: Certainty Of Graduating With An Engineering Degreementioning

confidence: 99%

The power of interest: minoritized women’s interest in engineering fosters persistence beliefs beyond belongingness and engineering identity

Verdín

2021

IJ STEM Ed

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Backgrounds This study examined how developing an engineering identity through the interplay between interest, recognition, and performance/competence beliefs and establishing a sense of belonging supported women’s persistence beliefs in engineering. Persistence belief in this study is captured through women’s certainty of graduating with an engineering degree. Students’ levels of motivation, affective states, and actions are based on what students believe to be true. Data were gathered from a survey administered to engineering students at nine institutions across the USA. Only female engineering students were used in the analysis. Students were further grouped into categories based on the representation of their race/ethnicity in engineering; 121 women were identified as minoritized in engineering, and 252 were identified as part of the majority group in engineering. Structural equation modeling was used to understand how the development of an engineering identity and modes of belonging (i.e., belonging in the major and in the classroom environment) supported women’s certainty to graduate with an engineering degree. All latent constructs were examined for measurement invariance; partial measurement invariance was achieved. Equality constraints on the structural paths of the model were not enforced to allow for differences across groups. Results Seeing oneself as an engineer (i.e., internal recognition) did not support minoritized women’s certainty to persist toward degree completion, whereas this internal recognition supported majority women’s persistence. Belonging in the major and belonging in the classroom environment did not support minoritized women’s certainty to persist. Establishing a sense of belonging in the classroom environment supported majority women’s certainty to persist. Minoritized women’s persistence toward degree completion was supported by their interest in engineering and their confidence in performing well in engineering coursework. However, interest in engineering was two times more influential toward minoritized women’s persistence than their performance competence beliefs. Conclusion These findings provide educators with a nuanced understanding of how identity development and modes of belonging differentially affect women’s persistence beliefs. These findings suggest that educators need to understand the powerful influence minoritized women’s interest in engineering has on their persistence beliefs and create mechanisms to continuously reinforce interest.

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“…Share student examples and stories or document approaches that include a component of their culture, community, or family life in the projects they have created; this will be especially important for personal projects created in the space. Ensuring that making activities promote a sociocultural approach can ensure that individuals' funds of knowledge are elevated [46] and that their sense of belonging is improved [10,12,13].…”

Section: Recommendations For Engineering Education Making Space Leadersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Light Blue Walls and Tan Flooring: A Culture of Belonging in Engineering Making Spaces (or Not?)

et al. 2021

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The motivation for this exploratory qualitative study is to understand what a culture of belonging may look like across six engineering education making spaces in institutions of higher education in the U.S. The research question for this study was: In what ways are the management, instructors, and staff operating engineering education making spaces influencing a culture of belonging (if any) for engineering students? We examined the transcripts of semi-structured interviews of 49 faculty members and 29 members of management/staff of making spaces, using thematic coding. From the data, we identified four themes that described the culture of belonging being created in these six engineering making spaces: (a) a ‘closed loop’ culture for inclusion, diversity, equity, and access; (b) a ‘transactional, dichotomous’ culture; (c) a ‘band-aid, masquerading’ culture; (d) a potential ‘boundary-crossing’ culture. Our primary conclusion was that created cultures in engineering making spaces are extensions of normative cultures found in traditional engineering classrooms. Additionally, while making spaces were attempting to change this culture in their physical infrastructures, it was deemed that the space leadership needs to expand hiring strategies, the nature of making activities, the ambient/physical appearance of the space, disciplines, and required expertise, to create a truly inclusive and equitable culture of belonging.

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The Influence of Connecting Funds of Knowledge to Beliefs about Performance, Classroom Belonging, and Graduation Certainty for First-generation College Students

Cited by 5 publications

References 32 publications

First‐generation college students' funds of knowledge support the development of an engineering role identity

First‐generation college students' funds of knowledge support the development of an engineering role identity

The power of interest: minoritized women’s interest in engineering fosters persistence beliefs beyond belongingness and engineering identity

Light Blue Walls and Tan Flooring: A Culture of Belonging in Engineering Making Spaces (or Not?)

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