Hannah Lloyd
Engineering continues to struggle with the underrepresentation of women, and many women who begin engineering programs report feeling isolated or uncertain about whether they belong. A strong sense of belonging has been linked to greater confidence, persistence, and success in engineering. This study examined how early experiences with engineering before college may influence students' sense of belonging later in their undergraduate engineering programs. Using survey responses from undergraduate engineering students across the United States, this study explored several types of early exposure to engineering, including family influence, school-based engineering and STEM courses, extracurricular programs such as robotics clubs and engineering organizations, teacher encouragement, and experiences related to gender stereotypes. The study investigated how these experiences were associated with students' feelings of acceptance, inclusion, and connection within engineering programs. The findings suggest that early exposure to engineering can play an important role in shaping later experiences. Students who reported supportive family members, encouraging teachers, meaningful engineering experiences in school, and participation in engineering-related activities generally reported stronger feelings of belonging in their engineering programs. Experiences that challenged negative stereotypes about who can be an engineer were also associated with more positive outcomes. The results suggest that it is not simply access to engineering experiences that matters, but the quality, support, and meaning students attach to those experiences. These findings have implications for educators, families, policymakers, and organizations that seek to increase participation in engineering. Creating engaging, supportive, and inclusive engineering experiences for young people may help more students—particularly women—develop the confidence and sense of belonging needed to persist in engineering education and careers.