2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This work-in-progress, a scoping literature review, conducts an analysis on the theoretical frameworks pertaining to the discriminations faced by Asian engineering students. In spite of the prevalent perception of Asian students being ‘overrepresented’ in many engineering fields, this label does not eliminate the real discrimination and hurdles they face. Notably, Asian student experiences both common and unique forms of discrimination, yet the literature specifically addressing the particular challenges they face in engineering disciplines is scarce. The study conducts a scoping review of existing studies addressing this critical area and focuses on theoretical frameworks used among them. These frameworks not only shed light on the current research landscape but also provide the direction for future empirical research, by highlighting the values of these frameworks in interpreting this complex socio-cultural phenomenon. The methodology of this scoping literature review is based on the foundational work of Arksey & O'Malley (2005) and Levac et al. (2010). This study identified nine relevant studies and the prevalent theoretical frameworks to be the Model Minority Theory & Stereotype, as well as the Critical Race Theory.