Internships' Impact on Recognition for First-Generation and/or Low-Income Students.

Autor: Atwood, Sara A., Yang, Jerry Austin, Towles, Joseph, Sheppard, Sheri
Předmět:
Zdroj: Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition; 2022, p1-12, 12p
Abstrakt: This qualitative research paper explores how internship experiences impact the recognition component of engineering professional identity for first-generation, low-income (FGLI) engineering students, drawing on the performance/competence, interest, and recognition (PCIR) framework. Technical experiences in internships are a crucial component of engineering internships, as they develop technical skill sets in real-world settings. However, the role of technical experiences in internships in developing recognition for FGLI students has not yet been explored. Ten FGLI students at a mid-size, private, highly-selective university in the United States participated in semi-structured interviews conducted through video-conferencing, of which six were selected for this paper due to their in-depth discussions on technical internships. After transcription, interview data were coded and analyzed using cluster matrix techniques that specifically targeted recognition-related codes. We found that participants who were assigned and supported in technical work felt recognized as an engineer by their colleagues and managers. The opposite was true when they were not assigned or supported in technical work. This work showcases that internships represent a highly contested locale in which recognition becomes the currency through which engineering professional identity could be cultivated or inhibited in FGLI students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Databáze: Complementary Index