2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Navigating Intersecting Identities of Historically Excluded Groups and Post-Traditional Students in Engineering

The purpose of this WIP research is to examine the intersectionality of traditionally examined broadening participation in engineering demographics (i.e., race, socio-economic status) with post-traditional student status and categories. Engineering education has been historically exclusive to racial group such as Black and Latinx students, and lower socioeconomic status students. While broadening participation often focuses on cultural marginalization of these student groups, there are other broader structural issues and life circumstances that affect their educational access and outcomes. In general, and in this study, we aim to further establish how Black, Latinx, and lower socioeconomic status students are more likely to study part-time, be older, be a parent, and support others while attending school—in short, they are more likely to be “post-traditional” students. While higher education literature has interrogated these post-traditional student categories more thoroughly, engineering education has done less to establish and interrogate this intersection.
More specifically, in this study, we focus on 1) classifying post-traditional students in terms of categories and extents of post-traditional status, 2) examine the intersectionality of the post-traditional population with other historically excluded demographic groups, and 3) assess the educational access and outcomes for this intersectional and underserved population. We draw on intersectionality theory and Choy’s (2022) post-traditional student status classifications to operationalize the analytical categories and procedures for our quantitative study. We utilize the de-identified institutional data from undergraduate engineering students enrolled during the 2023-2024 academic year at a large Hispanic-Serving Institution in the Southeastern United States and employ descriptive statistics, mean difference tests, and linear and logistic regressions to address our research purposes.
Our key findings include:
1) Among all part-time students, 87% are from historically excluded groups (HEG) by race. Similarly, 85% of students with children and 81% of female students belong to HEGs. All students who have dependents are HEGs;
2) Students classified as highly post-traditional (who have four post-traditional characteristics) have an average GPA of 2.89, compared to 3.06 for minimally post-traditional students (who have one post-traditional characteristic)
3) For students classified as minimally post-traditional (who have only one post-traditional characteristics), 18% graduate within four years have the characteristic of starting college at 25 years or above, while 13% have the characteristic of being part-time students.
By examining the impact of different variables, this study will contribute to a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by this diverse student population. Understanding these challenges is not only crucial for enhancing student success but also for promoting educational equity in engineering. By recognizing the unique needs and experiences of post-traditional students, we can develop more inclusive policies and support systems that ensure all students have the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their educational or life trajectories.

Authors

Dr. Haiying Long http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6563-5291 University of Kansas [biography]

Haiying Long is a professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Kansas.
Dr. Stephen Secules http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3149-2306 Florida International University [biography]

Dr. Stephen Secules is an Assistant Professor in the School of Universal Computing, Construction, and Engineering Education at Florida International University. Secules holds a joint appointment in the STEM Transformation Institute and a secondary appointment in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. He has bachelor degrees in engineering from Dartmouth College, a master’s in Architectural Acoustics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a PhD in Education (Curriculum and Instruction) from the University of Maryland. Prior to his academic career, Stephen was an acoustical consultant for 5 years in both London, UK and Silicon Valley, CA. His research has focused on culture and equity in engineering education, particularly undergraduate contexts, pedagogy, and student support. Through his work he aims to use critical qualitative, video-based, participatory, and ethnographic methods to look at everyday educational settings in engineering and shift them towards equity and inclusion. He also leads the Equity Research Group where he mentors graduate and undergraduate students in pursuing critical and action-oriented research.
Dr. Jingjing Liu Florida International University [biography]

Dr. Jingjing Liu is a Postdoctoral Associate in the School of Universal Computing, Construction, and Engineering Education (SUCCEED) at Florida International University.
Julian Rodrigo Sosa-Molano Florida International University [biography]

Julian is a graduate research assistant at Florida International University. He holds a BSc in Electronics Engineering from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Colombia and a MSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering from The University of Arizona. He is pursuing his PhD degree in Engineering and Computing Education at Florida International University. He has professional experience in Information Technology, Semiconductors, and Telecommunications in international companies such as Ecopetrol, Texas Instruments, and Ericsson. His research interests focus on inclusive STEM learning and teaching methodologies for students with physical disabilities.
Mr. Joseph Ronald Sturgess Florida International University [biography]

Joseph Sturgess is a Ph.D. student in the School of Universal Computing, Construction, and Engineering Education majoring in Engineering Education at Florida International University, where he also serves as a graduate research assistant contributing to various projects supporting post-traditional students and transfer students. His research interests include community college-minority serving institution partnerships, transfer students, post-traditional students, and broadening participation in engineering education. He received his B.S. in electrical engineering from Tuskegee University, an M.S in journalism from the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, an M.S. in physics from Fisk University, an M.S. in industrial engineering from the University of Central Florida and an M.Ed. in educational leadership from Texas Christian University.
Dr. Bruk T Berhane Florida International University [biography]

Dr. Bruk T. Berhane received his bachelorâ€™s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland in 2003. He then completed a masterâ€™s degree in engineering management at George Washington University in 2007. In 2016, he earned a Ph

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025