The Effect of Gender and Race Intersectionality on Student Learning Outcomes In Engineering

Abstract

Women and underrepresented minorities in traditionally White and male-dominated disciplines tend to report lower learning outcomes than their White peers. Adopting a feminist intersectionality framework, this study looks at the intersections of gender and race to investigate differences in self-assessed learning outcomes in engineering undergraduate education. We found that Black women, Asian men, and men from Other racial/ethnic groups tend to rate their skills lower than their White counterparts. We suggest future research to examine overlooked differences in learning outcomes as well as recruitment and retention strategies for women and men of color.