2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Group Comparisons of Sociocultural Variables and Work Outcomes among Early Career Latine Engineers

Presented at Diverse Pathways in Engineering Education: Exploring Experiences and Opportunities

Engineering is critical to our nation’s global competitiveness, and the demand to fill engineering jobs is projected to grow substantially over the next decade (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018). To meet this demand, efforts are needed to broaden the involvement of underrepresented racial minorities (URM) in engineering. Latino and Latinas have one of the highest labor force participation rates (76%, and 55.8%, respectively; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017), but represented 6%, and 1%, respectively, of the engineering workforce (NCSES, 2017).
Increased efforts across the engineering pipeline, but specifically during the college-to-work transition, are needed to broaden the participation of Latinxs. Among 2010-2013 engineering graduates, more URM were employed in non-science or engineering jobs (33.7%) in 2015, in contrast to Whites (14.1%; NCSES, 2017). More research is needed to understand the environmental factors that influence persistence decisions during the college-to-work transition and early career stages among URM in engineering.
We will present data from a 5-year ongoing project. The data were collected through an online survey from a group of about 400 early career engineers who identified as Latine/Latinx/Hispanic in 2021 and 2022. We will report scores on cultural measures (i.e., acculturation; enculturation) and work outcomes (i.e., goal progress; work satisfaction; life satisfaction; turnover intentions). We will examine differences in scores across groups based on gender, children/no children, organizational gender diversity, and organizational racial diversity. The findings may point to workplace factors that can facilitate or impede the retention of Latine engineers. Implications of the findings for enhancing the work experiences of Latine engineers and developing policies to create positive work environments for culturally diverse engineers will be discussed.

Authors

Dr. Lisa Y Flores University of Missouri - Columbia [biography]

Lisa Y. Flores, Ph.D. is a Professor of Psychology and Associate Chair for Diversity and Inclusion in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri. She has expertise in the career development of Latinx and Latinx immigrant issues and has over 100 peer reviewed journal publications.
Dr. Rachel L Navarro University of North Dakota [biography]

Rachel L. Navarro, Ph.D. is Professor of Counseling Psychology and Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development for the College of Education and Human Development at the University of North Dakota (UND). She is the former department chair for UNDâ€
Dr. Pat Garriott [biography]

Dr. Garriott received his PhD from the University of Missouri. He is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA), Division 17 (Counseling Psychology) of the APA, and the Society for Vocational Psychology. His work has been recognized by Divi
Dr. Sarah Lynn Orton P.E. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7896-039X University of Missouri - Columbia [biography]

Dr. Orton is an associate professor in Civil Engineering and is an active member of the American Concrete Institute and the American Society of Civil Engineers. Dr. Orton also serves as the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Civil and Environmental
Jinkoo Lee University of Missouri - Columbia
Chia-Lin Tsai University of Northern Colorado [biography]

Chia-Lin Tsai is an associate professor in the Department of Applied Statistics and Research Methods at the University of Northern Colorado. Her research interests include psychometrics studies, online learning and teaching, and first-generation college students’ academic experience.
Han Na Suh Georgia State University - Perimeter College
Bo Hyun Lee The Ohio State University [biography]

Dr. Lee's research broadly focuses on equity, justice, and access both at work and in pursuit of work. Dr. Lee takes an intersectional approach to understanding the influence of oppression and marginalization on academic achievement and career development among members from oppressed groups. With her focus on cultural and contextual influence on individuals’ career development, Dr. Lee addresses inequities in STEM by investigating a variety of cultural and contextual factors while striving to name and the structural inequity within the system, including higher education, that could guide the culturally and contextually sustaining intervention and support for the oppressed groups.

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