Undergraduate engineering students' perspectives on the intersection of engineering identity, marginalized social identities, and identification with social justice

Abstract Background There exists a misconception that social justice does not have a role in engineering. Engineering identity frameworks typically do not integrate concerns for social justice. However, supporting engineering students to incorporate social justice into their engineering identity might empower them to effect social change. Purpose We examined undergraduate engineering students' engineering identity, social identity, and identification with social justice, and the relationships between these identities, with the goal of empowering students to engage in social justice as it aligns with their views of themselves and engineering. Method We explored counternarratives of four undergraduate engineering students with multiple marginalized social identities after participating in an engineering course focused on social justice via artifacts of coursework and transcripts of semi‐structured interviews. Results The participants shared how their marginalized social identities made it challenging to see themselves as an engineer. Participants criticized the role of engineering in social oppression and described how separating technical and social aspects of engineering reinforces racism within and through engineering. Social justice was fundamental to participants' views of themselves in relation to engineering, pointing to the existence of a “social justice engineering identity.” All participants believed that engineers need to learn both technical and social aspects of engineering. Conclusions Sociotechnical integration is essential in engineering, as devaluing social aspects of engineering does not support students who cannot ignore social justice issues. Further, opportunities to engage in such sociotechnical thinking help students to develop a “social justice engineering identity,” and may support more students to see themselves as engineers.