Rethinking engineering pathways: An exploration of the diverse K-12 school experiences of six black engineering undergraduates
Conference
Berhane, BT, Onuma, FJ, Secules, S. (2017). Rethinking engineering pathways: An exploration of the diverse K-12 school experiences of six black engineering undergraduates
. 2017-June
Berhane, BT, Onuma, FJ, Secules, S. (2017). Rethinking engineering pathways: An exploration of the diverse K-12 school experiences of six black engineering undergraduates
. 2017-June
While native students spoke about being inspired and engaged in STEM classes, nonnative students, by comparison, spoke more globally about the rigor of the schools in their home countries. Titan and Oussou, in particular, connected the curricula to the importance of passing national exams. Maria, by comparison, had academic upbringing both in her home country and the U.S. Her reflections revealed differences in how schools in Kenya and the U.S. prepared her in different ways for her engineering education. Overall, the differences in all three non-native students' reflections highlighted the ways in which Black Africans and Black Americans may have very distinct K-12 experiences. Table 3 below provides a visual representation of the major within-group differences that emerged from the findings. The table attempts to summarize outcomes from the study that indicate key distinctions between native and non-native participants' K-12 experiences. In addition, the table illustrates some exceptions to the general results of the study among subgroups of participants. These exceptions, drawn from Carter's and Maria's accounts, suggest that even among subgroups, there is no singular narrative that can fully explicate the academic backgrounds of Black engineering transfers. Overall, these findings challenge research that suggests that Black students tend to enroll in underperforming schools. Even in the case of Black Americans, who (besides Carter) did attend private schools, the table highlights the positive attributes of public schools that may produce future engineers.
