2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This IUSE project focuses on the development, implementation, and evaluation of the impact of a unique storytelling intervention to enhance the self-view of undergraduate engineering students. It explores how telling personal narratives about oneself affects students' engineering professional identity, sense of belonging, and persistence in the major. Collaborating with the non-profit organization The Story Collider and funded by an NSF grant (award #2142137), the research uses a design-based mixed-methods approach to investigate the impact of storytelling on undergraduate engineering students. Incorporated into engineering courses, this intervention targets students during their sophomore year with the goal to develop and refine open-source curricular materials focused on teaching storytelling skills to engineering students. Each iteration of the intervention spans a semester, and involves personal narrative development supported by producers from The Story Collider. The research addresses three key questions: (1) What are the thematic and structural characteristics of personal narratives written by students about their experiences in engineering education?; (2) How does students’ development and performance of a personal narrative about their experiences in engineering education relate to their professional engineering identity, sense of belonging in the major, and downstream persistence?; (3) How do the thematic and structural characteristics of personal narratives written by students about their experiences in engineering education relate to their professional engineering identity, sense of belonging in the major, and downstream persistence?

Preliminary findings based on quantitative measures of student identity, sense of belonging, and persistence intentions (collected before and after the storytelling intervention; N = 104) indicate significant positive shifts in engineering professional identity in terms of engineering competence (F(1,87) = 6.16, p < .05) perceived recognition by others (F(1,87) = 2.98, p < .10), considering oneself to be an engineer (F(1,87) = 3.14, p < .10) and sense of belonging (F(1,87) = 5.09, p < .50). Qualitative data (student interviews) reveal several recurring themes. Many expressed a notable boost in confidence, particularly in their writing and public speaking abilities, as a result of sharing their personal stories. The experience also fostered a sense of belonging within the engineering community, especially for commuter students who felt a stronger connection and those students who felt like they hadn't really shared their stories with their peers before. The importance of communication emerged as a crucial skill, with participants recognizing its value in both personal and professional settings. Reflecting on life experiences was seen as a powerful tool for personal growth and a means to navigate uncertainties about the future. The interviews collectively showcased traits of perseverance, persistence, and a strong sense of shared humanity, underlining the participants' shared belief that they are still on a journey toward becoming engineering professionals.

This project expands the existing base of literature on evidence-based instructional practices in engineering education. The research team will generate new knowledge about why storytelling assignments enhance student success, and what type of stories appear to be the most effective in doing so. This will contribute to basic research on narrative identity and inform subsequent efforts to refine storytelling assignments to maximize its influence on aspects of engineering students’ self-view.