The Journal of College & University Student Housing Vol. 47 No. 1 - 80

Samuel Wonson * Lori L. Moore * Pauline Wade * Dustin K. Grabsch * Kasey Martinez * Andrea M. Ogilvie

Similar to first-generation status not producing noticeable differences within professional identity scores, there is also a negligible
difference seen in engineering identity. This
once again indicates that being a first-generation college student does not impact a student's
semblance of engineering identity negatively.

Living-Learning Community Analysis
When exploring how LLC involvement affects
engineering identity, the mean scores of interest and performance and competence were
very similar between LLC participants and
non-LLC participants. However, the means for
the recognition subscale were more differentiated, indicating that respondents involved in
LLCs do not recognize themselves as engineers
to the same extent as their first-year peers. This
surprised us, as one of the enumerated limitations of the study was volunteer bias-LLC
participants naturally would seem to have
higher scores because they identify more as
engineers, as evidenced by their motivation
to apply for the LLC in the first place. Perhaps
the explanation for this result is that students
involved in LLCs participate in the program
to bolster their engineering and professional
identities. Conversely, perhaps the reason for
non-LLC participants having a higher recognition stems from the idea that they do not perceive a benefit from LLC involvement because
they already know their desired plans within
engineering. Another explanation may have
to do with pressure to declare a major. At the
institution where this research was conducted,
there is an entry-to-a-major process where students have to apply for their upper-division
major within the college of engineering and are
only a general engineering major when they
begin college. It seems to make sense that stu80

dents who are actively working to declare their
major may identify with it more as opposed to
a transfer student. This idea is supported by
non-LLC participants scoring higher on most
of the professional identity subscales as well.
These findings would provide LLC administrators with the necessary information to
develop programs that more deeply integrate
students with the discipline and faculty. Related
to recognition, for instance, engineering administrators could pioneer a marketing campaign
that utilizes program swag as a way to bolster
engineering identity recognition. To illustrate,
similar to the " I'm First " Campaign originally
developed by the Center for Student Opportunity, program administrators could create t-shirts
that assert " I'm an engineer. " Finally, future research for engineering-based LLC involvement
should be longitudinal, using pre- and posttesting to explore how LLC participants and
non-LLC participants develop professional and
engineering identities over time.

REFERENCES
Anderson, K. J., Courter, S. S., McGlamery, T., Nathans-Kelly, T. M., & Nicometo, C. G. (2010). Understanding engineering work and identity: A
cross-case analysis of engineers within six firms.
Engineering Studies, 2(3), 153-174. https.//doi.org
/10.1080/19378629.2010.519772
Brewer, M. B., & Gardner, W. (1996). Who is this
" we " ? Levels of collective identity and self
representations. Journal of Personality and
Social Psychology, 71(1), 83-93. https.//doi.
org/10.1037//0022-3514.71.1.83
Brubaker, R., & Cooper, F. (2000). Beyond " identity. " Theory and Society, 29(1), 1-47. https.//doi.
org/10.1023/a:1007068714468
Chang, J. C. (2002). Women and minorities in the
science, mathematics and engineering pipeline
(ED467855 2002-06-00). ERIC. https://files.

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