2023 Collaborative Network for Computing and Engineering Diversity (CoNECD)

Comparing the Narratives of Two LGBTQ+ Undergraduate Engineering Students at a Hispanic Serving Institution

Presented at Session 12: Track 3: Exploring Two Contrasting Narratives of LGBTQ+ Undergraduate Engineering Students at a Hispanic Serving Institution

Prior scholarship indicates that the masculine, heteronormative culture of engineering leads to experiences of marginalization for LGBTQ+ students in undergraduate engineering programs. However, the ways in which LGBTQ+ students navigate the culture of undergraduate engineering programs within the context of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) is a topic that remains underexplored. This lack of research motivated our study, which seeks to better understand the experiences of LGBTQ+ undergraduate engineering students in the context of an HSI. We conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with seven undergraduate engineering students at Florida International University (FIU), a large HSI located in Miami, Florida. Our narrative analysis focused on two contrasting participants’ identity development, experiences as an engineering student, and perspectives on how they could be better supported by the institution.

Participants shared that they experienced feelings of isolation in their engineering programs. Furthermore, participants expressed that they believed the culture of engineering at the university is largely influenced by masculinity, and they felt pressure to keep to themselves or behave in ways that are inauthentic to who they are in order to fit into this dominant culture. Participants suggested that the institution could better support LGBTQ+ student inclusion by providing resources and space for LGBTQ+ student organizations. Findings from this study provide preliminary insight into how LGBTQ+ students experience the culture of undergraduate engineering programs at HSIs and spotlight student recommendations about how to strengthen institutional support for engineering students with marginalized identities, which can be utilized to inform policy and practice in engineering colleges.

Authors

J Garcia Florida International University [biography]

J Garcia is currently pursuing an electrical engineering degree at Florida International University, graduating in the Spring of 2023. They earned a bioengineering degree at Florida Gulf Coast University in the Spring of 2019. Their research works toward understanding the different experiences LGBTQ+ students in a Hispanic-Serving Institution in order to provide ways to support marginalized identities within the College of Engineering.
Malak Elaouinate Florida International University [biography]

Malak Elaouinate is a Florida International University student studying electrical engineering. Her research aims to investigate the many experiences of LGBTQ+ students at a Hispanic-Serving Institution in order to inform changes within CEC that contribute to students of marginalized identities feeling welcome, comfortable, and accurately represented.
Bailey Bond-Trittipo Florida International University [biography]

Bailey Bond-Trittipo is an engineering and computing education Ph.D. student in the School of Universal Computing, Construction, and Engineering Education (SUCCEED) at Florida International University. Her work centers on understanding how systems of oppression shape the culture of undergraduate engineering education and developing strategies to support engineering students in resisting oppression within institutions of higher education and society more broadly.
Dr. Stephen Secules http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3149-2306 Florida International University [biography]

Stephen is an Assistant Professor Engineering and Computing Education at Florida International University. He has a prior academic and professional background in engineering, having worked professionally as an acoustical engineer. He has taught a number of courses on engineering and education, including courses on engineering design, systems in society, and learning theories. Stephen’s research interests include equity, culture, and the sociocultural dimensions of engineering education.

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engineering
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LGBTQIA+
undergraduate