The marginalized identities of sense-makers: Reframing engineering student retention

This paper empirically argues for a closer examination of what we wish to retain when we speak of “retention” in engineering. We present and interpret data from clinical interviews and classroom video of “Michael,” a student who feels marginalized by an engineering program that undervalues him because of his stance toward knowledge. Michael is a sophomore Electrical Engineering and Mathematics major in a Basic Circuits course. In his own words, he´s a “fringe” student because of his robust tendency toward making sense of the concepts being taught rather than memorizing formulae. He also feels alienated because he views learning in terms of argument and intuition, instead of algorithm and rote acceptance. Furthermore, for Michael the practice of sense-making defines him; it´s an integral aspect of his identity. Thus, Michael´s self-reported sense of alienation resonates strongly with existing identity-based accounts of students leaving the field. We contend the field of engineering suffers if individuals like Michael don´t pursue it. Through this case study of Michael, we urge the retention discussion to consider not just the demographic categories of people we hope to keep but also the approaches to knowledge, learning, and problem-solving we aim to support.