'Buoyant believers' but bruised: Black men surviving engineering

All dates for this event occur in the past.

Prof. Leroy Long, Assistant Professor of Engineering Fundamentals at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Speaker: Prof. Leroy Long, Assistant Professor of Engineering Fundamentals at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Title: 'Buoyant believers' but bruised: Black men surviving engineering

Abstract/Bio: Some strategies exist for helping Black students succeed in engineering, but the present investigation uncovered detailed information about Black male students’ confidence and resilience. To add to the limited body of literature on Black males in STEM, interview data from 27 Black male students majoring in engineering or engineering related fields were analyzed through the lens of Strayhorn’s ‘buoyant believers’ framework. The framework offers practitioners, faculty, and staff – who work with minoritized engineering students – guidance for addressing challenges students face and creating pathways for their success. Based on the model, individuals can be described across four typologies as: (a) students who are confident and resilient, (b) students who are confident but lack resilience, (c) students who lack confidence but exhibit resilience, and (d) students who are neither resilient nor confident. The present study focuses solely on the narratives of students who are “buoyant believers.” Specific attention was given to the pre-college and in-college experiences of Black males in engineering and engineering-related fields to better identify potential sources of their current confidence and resilience. Findings revealed that research participants’ current confidence and resilience seem to be connected to attributes such as a) childhood adversity, b) a refusal to quit, and c) prior academic success, which led to their collegiate achievements. Although the participants were successful in their engineering degree programs, they were left bruised while surviving rather than thriving.

 

Prof. Long's websitehttps://faculty.erau.edu/Leroy.Long

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