On the development of a professional identity: engineering persisters vs engineering switchers

Abstract

Decline in engineering enrollment continues and renewed efforts are required to improve enrollment and diversity. Herein, we address this problem by conducting research to understand engineering students through the lens of identity theory. Implications of this effort are twofold: (1) to contribute to our basic understanding of engineering students' identities as well as what factors (experiences and settings) foster the formation and transformation of these identities during the undergraduate experience, and from these findings (2) to gain insight into improving recruitment and retention of engineering students, particularly students underrepresented in engineering. By conducting focus groups and interviews, our goal was to understand professional identity development in freshman engineering persisters and freshman engineering switchers. Initial findings suggest that exposure to meaningful engineering-related experiences and engineers are critical in developing an engineer identity. Our future efforts involve understanding the longitudinal nature of professional identity development (from freshman to senior years).