AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN ENGINEERING: A MULTIPLE-METHODS EXAMINATION OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTSâ ATTITUDES AND PERCEPTIONS

This multiple-methods study examines undergraduate engineering students' knowledge of and attitudes toward affirmative action (AA) admissions policies in higher education, which were prohibited in 2023 by the US Supreme Court. Prior research identified factors shaping AA attitudes-demographics, personal variables, institutional context, perceptions, and beliefs/values-but overlooked their interplay in engineering contexts. Building on previous work, this study integrates these factors with belief systems and racial theories to develop a conceptual framework and survey instrument. Quantitative analysis using hierarchical ordinary least-squares regression found beliefs/values to be the strongest predictors of AA attitudes, outweighing demographics. Qualitative data underscored the salience of students' personal beliefs/values. Both quantitative and qualitative results demonstrate that students have misconceptions about AA.