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Abstract
This study sought to address the problem of the low persistence of African American women in engineering careers. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of African American women engineers on the impact of their educational experiences on their persistence in engineering career fields. Social Cognitive Career Theory was used as the guiding framework. A qualitative methodology and a case study design were used to examine the perceptions of African American women engineers of the impact of their educational experience on their persistence in engineering career fields. Data were collected from six participants using semi-structured interviews via videoconference, and inductive thematic analysis was conducted with the support of NVivo software. Three research questions were used: 1) What are African American women engineers’ perceptions of how their educational experiences have positively impacted their persistence in engineering career fields? 2) What are African American women engineers’ perceptions of how their educational experiences have negatively impacted their persistence in engineering career fields? 3) What are African American women engineers’ suggestions for how to create educational experiences that support their persistence in engineering career fields? The overreaching themes that emerged from the questions were: a passion for STEM, excellent academic performance, familial, peer, and educator support, feelings of loneliness, discouragement, financial challenges, and lack of mentorship. This study shows that addressing the problem of low persistence of African American women in engineering requires collective efforts from parents, peers, and educational institution staff. Future recommendations and implications are included in the conclusion of this study.