Research in Engineering Education Symposium 2011 - rees2009

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) Página 795 de 957
Not only were students asked about their initial interest in pursuing engineering, and
participation in engineering activities, but students were also asked to indicate influences
on their decisions to continue in engineering, as well as, the causes for any doubts relating
to their decisions to matriculate. As can be seen in Table 2, experiences in engineering
(rigorous coursework, internships/research/and interactions with faculty) were an
indicator of engineering continuation for over fifty percent (50%) of ‘A’ students. Students
with ‘C’ and ‘D’ averages indicated that their primary reasons for continuing in the
engineering field were their experiences from pre-engineering programming or activities
from other disciplines. The table also shows that engineering experiences for some
students, regardless of academic achievement level, creates doubt in students regarding
their continuation. This indicates that while students find that their experiences within the
rigors of the engineering course work, research, and internships aid in their desire to
continue in engineering; these very same experiences discourage students to continue in
the field.
Table 2
It must be noted, that fifty-eight percent (58%) of ‘A’ students never doubted pursing an
engineering major. This lack of doubt holds true for twenty five percent (25%) of ‘B’
students and one hundred percent (100%) of ‘C’ students.
Conclusion
In this paper we discuss the preliminary findings regarding social capital and Black male
engineering students at a minority serving institution. The data suggest that while there is
a great deal of research relating to the use of social capital in general, there is much to
understand about how black male engineering students utilize the social capital available
to increase their academic achievement in engineering. Based upon the quantitative data
presented, many of the social capital available are under utilized by black male students.
More importantly, the very students in need of support (B and below) are the very
students reporting dissatisfaction, and lack of research and internship experiences in
engineering. As Coleman (1988) asserts, this could be due to exclusivity when sharing
information across individuals. Social norms in higher education tend to provide extra
opportunities to the excellent students. This however, may undermine the achievement of
students that need to be drawn into their major for graduation and career success.
Proceedings of Research in Engineering Education Symposium 2011
Madrid, 4 th - 7 th October 2011