Christy Bozic

Policymakers and industry representatives have called for an increase in the number of engineering graduates, but many students, even in their final year of their programs, remain unsure of their plans to enter engineering as a career. The research question guiding this study is: how do changes in students’ perceptions of the field of engineering relate to how they describe their development of engineering identity? To address this question, focus group interviews were conducted with 62 students across 15 engineering majors and three universities in the United States. Results indicate that students find engineering to be broader than anticipated, which implicates how they imagine they might contribute to the field. Students perceive that perseverance, collaboration, and opportunities for authentic engagement with practice lead to academic success and better employment outcomes, and they recognise lifelong learning will help them continually adapt to the dynamic and complex nature of the engineering field.

This work seeks to understand how undergraduate students view development of their engineering and leadership identities. The construct of engineering identity is important because its development improves student retention in college and into industry. Similarly, developing leadership identity influences leadership interest and self-efficacy. Through data collected in twenty focus groups and coded using consensus techniques this study finds similarities and differences between the development of each identity. Similarities include the positive impact of authentic experiences and importance of both internal and external recognition, while the linear development of engineering presents a stark contrast with student views of how leadership develops.