Engineering Identity of Non-Traditional Students in an Undergraduate Transfer Program.
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| Title: | Engineering Identity of Non-Traditional Students in an Undergraduate Transfer Program. |
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| Authors: | Conner, Shannon (AUTHOR) sconne3@clemson.edu, Harvey, Tyler (AUTHOR), Boyer, D. Matthew (AUTHOR), Kurz, Mary E. (AUTHOR), Neyens, David (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Journal of Continuing Higher Education. Sep-Dec2025, Vol. 73 Issue 3, p271-285. 15p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Nontraditional college students, *Transfer students, *Human behavior, *Group identity, Narratives, Thematic analysis |
| Abstract: | Non-traditional students bring many assets to their undergraduate degree programs; however, they also face additional barriers. A student's engineering identity has been linked to their persistence in their engineering program, but few works focus specifically on the engineering identity of non-traditional students. In our work, we explore the engineering identity of non-traditional students who are participating in a transfer program. We utilised Godwin's framework for engineering identity to perform thematic analysis on qualitative data. Amongst our findings, we highlight that the experiences of the participants, such as careers, are referenced as being influential to the development of their interest in engineering. Additionally, we found that students perceived barriers to their success that related to aspects of their identities, such as neurodivergence and age, but these perceived barriers did not necessarily negatively impact their classroom experience. The students also cited that their friends, family, and instructors were influential in both the choice to pursue engineering and their feelings of recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Journal of Continuing Higher Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
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| Abstract: | Non-traditional students bring many assets to their undergraduate degree programs; however, they also face additional barriers. A student's engineering identity has been linked to their persistence in their engineering program, but few works focus specifically on the engineering identity of non-traditional students. In our work, we explore the engineering identity of non-traditional students who are participating in a transfer program. We utilised Godwin's framework for engineering identity to perform thematic analysis on qualitative data. Amongst our findings, we highlight that the experiences of the participants, such as careers, are referenced as being influential to the development of their interest in engineering. Additionally, we found that students perceived barriers to their success that related to aspects of their identities, such as neurodivergence and age, but these perceived barriers did not necessarily negatively impact their classroom experience. The students also cited that their friends, family, and instructors were influential in both the choice to pursue engineering and their feelings of recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 07377363 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/07377363.2025.2468403 |
