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Advancing from outsider to insider: A grounded theory of professional identity negotiation in undergraduate engineering
Author(s) -
McCall Cassandra,
McNair Lisa D.,
Simmons Denise R.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of engineering education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.896
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 2168-9830
pISSN - 1069-4730
DOI - 10.1002/jee.20383
Subject(s) - grounded theory , insider , identity (music) , negotiation , context (archaeology) , identity negotiation , engineering education , pedagogy , situated , engineering ethics , diversity (politics) , sociology , qualitative research , engineering , political science , computer science , social science , engineering management , law , paleontology , physics , artificial intelligence , acoustics , anthropology , biology
Background Engineers' identification with their profession is crucial for persistence among engineering students and career professionals. Significant research has been conducted on various dimensions of identity in the engineering field. However, little is known about the ways students negotiate these dimensions as they construct professional identities within a single engineering discipline such as civil engineering. Purpose/Hypothesis The purpose of this study is twofold in that we not only seek to enhance our understanding of professional identity formation but also to develop a theory that will allow future research to examine professional formation negotiations and processes through a single, interconnected lens. Design/Method In this grounded theory study, semistructured interviews with 31 undergraduate students were conducted and analyzed using constant comparative techniques. Frameworks situated within identity theory served as sensitizing concepts and undergraduate civil engineering education served as context to initiate theory development. Results The result of this study is the Negotiating Equilibrium: Advancing from Outsider to Insider model (the AOI model). This grounded theory model captures the dynamic process through which individuals iteratively integrate definitions of self and profession to develop professional identities during their undergraduate careers. Conclusions This grounded theory model provides a new framework to capture the complex negotiation process of professional identity formation in undergraduate engineering students. Overall, this work contributes to ongoing conversations that promote the diversity of experiences and backgrounds of students to paint a more holistic and diverse picture of engineering students and of the engineering field.