Education Research Grant--Understanding the Persistence of African American Male Engineering Students at HBCUs: A Mixed Method Approach

Howard University, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

HBCUs graduate approximately 24% of the country's African American students each year providing the nurturing, supportive environment needed for these students to succeed, yet African American students are at high risk for not completing an engineering undergraduate program. Today African American males are the minority on HBCU campuses and enrollment of African American females at HBCUs has almost doubled the enrollment of African American males. However, this demographic shift with respect to gender has not occurred in engineering which still remains a male dominated field. Understanding the unique dichotomous roles--majority in the engineering school and a minority elsewhere on campus-- that African American male engineering students at HBCUs navigate will be one of the primary issues examined in this study on persistence. Howard University proposes to conduct a mixed method study to examine the factors that impact persistence to the baccalaureate degree of African American males in engineering at an HBCU. This study proposes to investigate three facets of the experiences of African American male engineering students at an HBCU--(i) navigating their dichotomous roles, (ii) exploring the influence of their professors' race and culture and (iii) examining their persistence to the bachelor's degree, guided by three theories--Retention Theory, Social Capital Theory and Achievement Goal Theory. The project will help clarify theories of persistence that are most appropriate for understanding persistence by African American males within the HBCU setting and it can inform future interventions aimed at improving retention of minority STEM students. The project also will investigate the role of faculty diversity in impacting persistence and is important in addressing issues of cultural match and mismatch that must be considered.