2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Reflections from the Rising Doctoral Institute: Undergraduate Research as a Site of Agentic Orientation Development - A Work-in-Progress Study

Presented at Student Division (STDT) Technical Session 7

This work-in-progress paper explores how participation in Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs) and/or Undergraduate Research Experiences (UREs) contributes to the relationship between agentic orientation and agentic capabilities among participants of the Rising Doctoral Institute (RDI), a transition program for incoming doctoral students in STEM. Guided by Klemenčič’s Student Agency Model, which conceptualizes agentic orientation as students’ internal lens shaped by prior background, dispositions, and experiences, this study examines how URE contexts interact with that orientation to shape emerging agentic capabilities.

Drawing on qualitative interview data from RDI participants, preliminary analysis investigates how students described navigating ambiguity, autonomy, and evolving expectations in research environments prior to doctoral study. Early findings suggest that UREs may serve as a developmental context in which students’ existing orientations are activated, challenged, and refined through sustained engagement with authentic research. Through these interactions, participants appear to develop and strengthen capabilities related to decision-making, help-seeking, and self-directed engagement. As a work in progress, ongoing analysis seeks to examine further how these developmental processes are later enacted during the transition into engineering doctoral programs.

Authors

Jordan Peyton Ohio State University [biography]

Jordan Peyton [游敏] is a Ph.D. student and Graduate Research Assistant in the CHARGE Research Group led by Dr. Mayra Artiles. Their research examines engineering Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs), undergraduate-to-graduate pathways, and equity-oriented data disaggregation within the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) umbrella. Drawing on professional experience across K-12 education, higher education, corporate DEI, and APIDA nonprofit organizations, Jordan’s work centers on understanding how educational structures and support systems shape students’ agency and access in engineering education.
Shuyu Wang http://orcid.org/0009-0004-9576-6371 The Ohio State University [biography]

Shuyu Wang is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Engineering Education at The Ohio State University. Her research focuses on the motivation of graduate students and how it connects to their identities. Shuyu is a member of the Research on Identity and Motivation in Engineering (RIME) research group, led by Dr. Rachel L. Kajfez, focusing on studying the intersection between motivation and identity to improve engineering students’ success. Her work not only embodies her commitment to the field but also her dedication to tackling complex challenges that transcend traditional boundaries, fostering a holistic perspective on engineering education.
Mr. Marcus Vinicius Melo de Lyra http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4309-6826 The Ohio State University [biography]

Marcus is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Engineering Education (EED) at The Ohio State University. His research interests include teaching faculty development and early-career faculty experiences. Before joining the EED program, Marcus studied two years in the Engineering Education Systems and Design program at Arizona State University, he also earned his BS in Civil Engineering at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte and his MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Federal University of Campina Grande in Brazil.
Maureen Ondieki http://orcid.org/0009-0007-2246-3638 The Ohio State University [biography]

Maureen Ondieki is a first-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Engineering Education at The Ohio State University. Her interests center on examining the influence of intersectional identities on student trajectories and persistence within engineering pathways. As a Graduate Research Assistant in the Artiles Research Group, she is actively involved in the CAREER project focused on understanding the experiences of Latino engineering students pursuing doctoral degrees at Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs).
Dr. Mayra S Artiles http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7604-0410 The Ohio State University [biography]

Mayra S. Artiles is an assistant professor in engineering at the Polytechnic School of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. Her research expertise includes engineering doctoral education structure, experiences of underrepr
Dr. Juan M Cruz http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7426-682X Rowan University [biography]

Juan M. Cruz is an assistant professor in the Experiential Engineering Education Department at Rowan University. He has a B.S. in Electronic Engineering and a Masters in Education from Universidad Javeriana in Colombia and a PhD in Engineering Education from Virginia Tech. His research uses a systems perspective to understand the dynamics of the academic system and how it influences faculty motivation to change, undergraduate students’ motivation to learn, and retention and persistence of doctoral students (with special attention to underrepresented minority (URM) students).
Dr. Stephanie G. Adams University of Texas at Dallas [biography]

Dr. Stephanie G. Adams is the 5th Dean of the Eric Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Texas, Dallas and Past President of the American Society of Engineering Education. Previously Dr. Adams served as the Dean of the Fr

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