The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School Counselor Education, Counseling Psychology, & Rehabilitation Services CASE STUDY ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECT OF CONTEXTUAL SUPPORTS AND BARRIERS ON AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS‘ PERSISTENCE IN ENGINEERING A Dissertation in Counselor Education by Lisa Montgomery 2009 Lisa Montgomery Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2009 ii The dissertation of Lisa Montgomery was reviewed and approved* by the following: Spencer Niles Professor of Education Head of the Department of Counselor Education, Counseling Psychology and Rehabilitation Services Dissertation Advisor Chair of Committee Jerry Trusty Professor of Counselor Education Keith Wilson Professor of Counselor Education and Rehabilitation Services Edgar Farmer Professor of Education Head of Learning and Performance Systems *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School iii ABSTRACT Using case study methodology (Stake, 2006), this research examined the environmental influences, or contextual supports and barriers, that were most influential in contributing to African American students‘ persistence in an engineering major. Social cognitive career theory provides the framework for understanding the role of contextual supports and barriers in conceptualizing persistence. Eight African American college students at a Large, Midatlantic State University (LMSU) participated in the study. Semistructured interviews, lasting on average 82.5 minutes, were conducted using an interview protocol adapted from Seymour and Hewitt (1997). The six emergent themes that had the most impact on their ability to persistence in emerging are: (1) Cultural Issues; (2) Engineering Identity; (3) Family Influence; (4) Peer relationships; (5) Academic Issues; and (6) Personal Issues. Five of the six were perceived as both contextual supports and barriers to their experience in their major. Cultural issues (e.g. participation in the Multicultural Engineering Program (MEP), involvement in National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), and other culture-related activities) figured most prominently in providing the necessary support and obviating the effects of any barriers they encountered. Implications for various stake holders and theory were provided. Limitations and strengths of the study and recommendations for future research were also discussed. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................... viii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION..................................................................................... 1 Background of the Problem .................................................................................. 1 Statement of the Problem ..................................................................................... 1 Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................ 3 Research Questions .............................................................................................. 4 Importance of the Study ....................................................................................... 4 Scope of the Study ............................................................................................... 5 Delimitations and Limitations .............................................................................. 6 Definition of Terms .............................................................................................. 7 CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE ......................................... 8 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ........................................................................ 8 Social Cognitive Career Theory ........................................................................... 8 Social Cognitive Variables ........................................................................... 10 Personal Accomplishment .................................................................................. 12 Pre-College Preparation................................................................................ 12 College Experience ...................................................................................... 17 Vicarious Learning Experiences ......................................................................... 19 Verbal Persuasion .............................................................................................. 23 Physiological and Affective States ..................................................................... 24 Cultural Issues .............................................................................................. 25 Isolation ....................................................................................................... 30 Summary of the Related Literature ..................................................................... 33 CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY .................................................................................. 36 Qualitative Paradigm .......................................................................................... 36 Rationale for Research Design ........................................................................... 37 Qualitative Method ............................................................................................ 38 Case Study ................................................................................................... 38 v Site and Sample Selection ............................................................................ 39 Participants and Setting ................................................................................ 40 Data Collection .................................................................................................. 41 Interviews .................................................................................................... 41 Data Analysis ..................................................................................................... 44 Case Review and Coding .............................................................................. 45 Methods of Verification ..................................................................................... 46 Role of the Researcher ................................................................................. 46 Trustworthiness ............................................................................................ 49 Triangulation ................................................................................................ 49 Summary ........................................................................................................... 50 CHAPTER 4 RESULTS ............................................................................................... 52 Barriers and Overcoming Barriers ...................................................................... 53 Academic Issues ........................................................................................... 53 Summary of Academic Issues ....................................................................... 65 Personal Difficulties ..................................................................................... 67 Summary of Personal Issues ......................................................................... 72 Contextual Supports ........................................................................................... 72 Being Black at a PWI ................................................................................... 73 Participation in the MEP .............................................................................. 77 Summary of Being Black at a PWI ............................................................... 80 Engineering Identity ........................................................................................... 81 Pre-College Experience ................................................................................ 81 College Experience ...................................................................................... 83 College Job and internships .......................................................................... 84 Summary of Engineering Identity ................................................................. 86 Family Influence ................................................................................................ 87 Pre-college ................................................................................................... 87 Acculturation related issues .......................................................................... 89 College ......................................................................................................... 92 Summary of Family Influence ...................................................................... 93 Positive Peer Influence ....................................................................................... 94 Role of acculturation .................................................................................... 96 Summary of Peer Influence .......................................................................... 98 CHAPTER 5 DISCUSSION ......................................................................................... 99 Personal accomplishment ..................................................................................