Circle of success—An interpretative phenomenological analysis of how Black engineering students experience success

Abstract

Background: Though minoritized undergraduate engineering students earn less than 25% of engineering bachelor's degrees, minority-serving institutions (MSIs) are leading the way in producing a large percentage of those underrepresented engineering bachelor's degree holders. However, much of the published research about the experiences of underrepresented engineering students occurs within the context of predominantly White institutions. Upon deeper inspection into the apparent success of some MSIs, graduation rates of specific minoritized populations (e.g., Black students) remain critically low. This suggests that there is more to be learned about how to better support Black engineering students' success. Purpose: We explored the experiences of Black undergraduate engineering students at a large public doctoral university with very high research activity. Design/Method: We used interpretative phenomenological analysis to understand the experiences of eight participants. Findings: We inductively developed two themes to describe how Black engineering students experience success at a Hispanic-serving institution, which include building success networks and implementing rules of engagement. Conclusion: Participants enacted their cultural capital to construct their circles of success through the intentional engagement of others, resources, and themselves to realize success. This work sheds light on how Black students describe what it means to be successful in their engineering environment.