Tkacik, P. T., & Lim, J. H., & Tolley, P. A., & Warren, K. (2012, June), Gendered Socialization during the First Semester: Contrasting Experiences of Male and Female Transfer/Non-traditional Engineering Students  Paper presented at 2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, San Antonio, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--21422

\bibitem{asee_peer_21422}
  Tkacik, P. T., \& Lim, J. H., \& Tolley, P. A., \& Warren, K. (2012, June), \emph{Gendered Socialization during the First Semester: Contrasting Experiences of Male and Female Transfer/Non-traditional Engineering Students}
  Paper presented at 2012 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, San Antonio, Texas.
  10.18260/1-2--21422

Peter Thomas Tkacik, Jae Hoon Lim, Patricia A. Tolley P.E., and Kimberly  Warren.  "Gendered Socialization during the First Semester: Contrasting Experiences of Male and Female Transfer/Non-traditional Engineering Students".  2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, San Antonio, Texas, 2012, June.  ASEE Conferences, 2012.  https://strategy.asee.org/21422 Internet.  22 Jul, 2024

\bibitem{asee_peer_21422}
  Peter Thomas Tkacik, Jae Hoon Lim, Patricia A. Tolley P.E., and Kimberly  Warren.
  "Gendered Socialization during the First Semester: Contrasting Experiences of Male and Female Transfer/Non-traditional Engineering Students".
  \emph{2012 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, San Antonio, Texas, 2012, June}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2012.
  https://strategy.asee.org/21422 Internet.  22 Jul, 2024

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_21422
author = "Peter Thomas Tkacik, Jae Hoon Lim, Patricia A. Tolley P.E., and Kimberly  Warren"
title = "Gendered Socialization during the First Semester: Contrasting Experiences of Male and Female Transfer/Non-traditional Engineering Students"
booktitle = "2012 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition"
year = "2012"
month = "June"
address = "San Antonio, Texas"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://strategy.asee.org/21422}
number = {10.18260/1-2--21422}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Gendered Socialization during the First Semester: Contrasting Experiences of     Male and Female Transfer/Non-traditional Engineering StudentsAs part of a larger multi-year mixed-method research that examined the attitudes, perceptions,and experience of engineering students, this paper presents an in-depth qualitative analysis of 15transfer and/or non-traditional engineering students. This study is part of a comprehensive, long-term effort to improve recruitment and retention strategies for freshman engineering students at alarge urban public university located in the Southeast. Findings from the 15 transfer/non-traditional students are contextualized in a larger qualitative study that included a total of 92freshman engineering student interviews collected between 2009 and 2010.During the last two decades, there has been growing public consensus that it is vital to prepare aqualified engineering workforce that will generate a profound impact upon the nation’s economyand prosperity.1 Based on the most recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projections2 thedemand for qualified engineering graduates nation-wide will grow 11% between 2008 and 2018,yet the actual number of engineering graduates remained relatively unchanged since 2005.3Contradictory to the long-held belief that the engineering fields suffer from low retention rates,most recent studies confirmed that the retention rates of engineering students is relatively higherthan other majors (e.g., Ohlands et al., 2008). Researchers concluded that the staggering numberof qualified engineering graduates is primarily based on the extremely low rate of inwardmigration: A very small number of students who matriculated in other majors transfer toengineering fields. However, very few research studies have explored the first–year transitionexperience of transfer/non-traditional engineering students. Therefore, there is a significant lackof existing literature addressing this important group of students who might play a critical role inmeeting society’s demand for competent and qualified engineering graduates.In total, 92 engineering students attending an introductory engineering class were interviewedbetween fall 2009 and early spring 2011. The entire student sample consisted of 73 males and 19females. 68 Caucasians, 11 Asians including four Middle Eastern students, six African-Americans, five Hispanics, and one Native-American and one unspecified were interviewed.Seventy-eight interviews were conducted as individual interviews while seven interviews wereconducted as pair interviews or in a group of three students. Both types of interviews took about25 to 90 minutes and were also based on a semi-structured interview protocol listing several keyquestions about their major/transfer decisions and transition experiences. All interviews wereaudio-recorded and subsequently transcribed verbatim. In addition to the student interview data,other types of qualitative data, such as document, classroom observation, and interview--werealso collected and used as supporting data bases.After the initial thematic analysis5 of all 92 students was completed, the research team conducteda more focused analysis with the 15 transfer/non-traditional students. The thematic analysis wasconducted to identify major commonalities and differences in their transfer decision andtransition experiences of two target groups of students, male and female transfer/non-traditionalstudents. The male and female transfer/non-traditional students listed different factors for theirtransfer decision: The majority of female students referred to their previous academic advisorand/or faculty member as an important figure who influenced or supported their transfer decision.About a half of the male transfer/non-traditional students referred to their prior engineering-related work or intership experience as an important factor for their transfer decision.Furthermore, the transition experience of male and female students exhibited a sharp contrast.Male transfer and non-traditional students found themselves receiving respect from youngerstudents, while still being able to connect with “like-minded” individuals with whom he couldestablish “study relationships.” In contrast, female transfer and non-traditional students felt theywere “so out of the loop” and that “there was something missing” in their program experience.They found it hard to build a new support network on campus, yet they also showed greatdetermination and goal-orientation; some expressed a strong desire to serve people and societyby majoring engineering. Findings derived from the thematic analysis of the whole 77 traditionalengineering student interview data were also used to contextualize the unique aspects of thetransfer/non-traditional students’ transition experience and perspectives.This qualitative study provides a valuable insight into the transition experience of transfer andnon-traditional engineering students. In particular, our study highlights the unique challengesfaced by female transfer and non-traditional students during their transition period whilerevealing their resilience and persistency as reflected in their coping strategies. Findings revealthat the curriculum, learning environment, and support networks are critical components inshaping the transfer/non-traditional students’ attitudes, perceptions, and experiences, all of whichinfluence their decision and persistency to remain in the major.                                            References1. Seymour, E., & Hewitt, N. (1997). Talking about leaving: Why undergraduates leave the   sciences. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational outlook handbook, 2010-11 edition. Retrieved   December 17, 2010 from http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos027.htm#outlook.3. Gibbons, M. (n.d.) Engineering by the numbers. Retrieved December 17, 2010 from   http://www.asee.org/papers-and-publications/publications/college-profiles/2009-profile-   engineering-statistics.pdf.4. Ohland, M. W., Sheppard, S. D., Lightenstein, G., Eris, O., Chachra, D., & Layton, R. A.   (2008). Persistence, engagement, and migration in engineering programs. Journal of   Engineering Education, 97(3), 259-278.5. Ezzy, D. (2002). Qualitative analysis: Practice and innovation. London: Routledge.
AU  - Peter Thomas Tkacik
AU  - Jae Hoon Lim
AU  - Patricia A. Tolley P.E.
AU  - Kimberly  Warren
CY  - San Antonio, Texas
DA  - 2012/06/10
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Gendered Socialization during the First Semester: Contrasting Experiences of Male and Female Transfer/Non-traditional Engineering Students
UR  - https://strategy.asee.org/21422
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--21422
ER  -