See Me as an Engineer: Understanding the Role of Language and Multiple Role Identities on Engineering Students’ Identity Trajectory

This full research paper examines how first-year engineering students' recognition beliefs differ by household language (English versus non-English). An Exploratory Factor Analysis of 18 survey items identified two factors grouping students' recognition experiences into leadership-based and knowledge-based categories. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the First Language Not English (FLNE) students generally felt less recognized as an engineer than their peers. We present multiple excerpts from four "restoryed" case summaries of one student to provide insight into why differences in recognition may occur for FLNE students and how these students describe their identity development. The results of this study may indicate important ways to recognize students in the classroom and promote identity development and persistence.