There is a need for more research that focuses on helping women of color in engineering navigate through their undergraduate educational experiences. Specifically, we need to learn more about the activities—beyond the classroom—that have the potential to support the identity of women of color in engineering. The current study employed a mixed-methods design to examine whether and how affinity groups, internships, and undergraduate research experiences support the gender, racial/ethnic, and engineering identity of women of color in engineering. The quantitative strand included 116 engineering undergraduate students who were surveyed about their activities and their identity. The qualitative strand has 11 engineering undergraduate students and 8 engineering graduates who were interviewed about the role these experiences serve in negotiating their identities. The quantitative results showed that internships and undergraduate research experiences were positively related to engineering identity, and gender- and race/ethnicity-based affinity groups were positively related to gender and ethnic identity respectively. The qualitative strand was used to further evaluate these findings and to explore the roles these experiences might serve in negotiating identity among women of color in engineering. The qualitative findings articulate sources of tension and support for identity development in students’ educational experiences, in affinity group spaces, in internships and undergraduate research, and in post-baccalaureate work experiences. Salient themes across contexts include discrimination, isolation, and lack of belonging; seeking community and engineering support; and navigation of the self in engineering. Altogether, the themes identified in this study suggest that affinity groups and profession-based experiential learning opportunities like internships and undergraduate research provide distinct, but complementary supports in the navigation of identity among women of color in engineering.
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