College Experiences and Learning Outcomes of Women of Color Engineering Students in the United States

Abstract

Framed by Crenshaw’s concept of intersectionality, we examined how women of color students self-assess their learning outcomes, compared to white women, in engineering undergraduate programs at 18 research universities in the United States. We also examined if curricular, pedagogical, and co-curricular experiences moderate the relationship between the race/ethnicity and learning outcomes of women students. We analyzed 2,104 women students from the 2016 Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) survey. We found that Asian women self-assessed lower than white women in the learning outcomes measured, and their curricular experiences moderated the relationship between race and their self-assessments of critical thinking skills. We discussed implications for future research, institutional practices, and policies that could promote the academic success of women of color in the field of engineering.