Advancing from outsider to insider: A grounded theory of professional identity negotiation in undergraduate engineering

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.

Automated summary

This study aims to explore how students negotiate the process of establishing professional identity in the field of civil engineering, resulting in the development of the "Negotiating Equilibrium: Advancing from Outsider to Insider model". This model captures the dynamic process through which individuals develop professional identities during their undergraduate careers.