From Engineering Students to Student Engineers: Reflections, Identity, and Positioning in Co-curricular Activities

In this research paper, we aim to examine whether an existing Professional Development Survey (PDS) captures evidence of student engineering identity. To do this, we consider students' descriptions of their co-curricular experiences through the lens of positioning theory to understand how they construct and develop their engineering and professional identities. The data used for this study was secondary and gathered by a large state research university in 2020. A positioning analysis of undergraduate engineering students' PDS reflections on co-curricular experiences (i.e., technical work and research) indicates that the students build their engineering identities primarily in the process of positioning themselves as: 1) an engineering intern; 2) a research assistant; and 3) taking up agentic positions related to successfully completing the tasks and future career goals. Storylines show how individual students take up their responsibilities within a particular context in co-curricular activities. The results also reveal that the students demonstrate their professional identity by positioning themselves as potential future engineers while reflecting on career goals. The PDS enables undergraduate engineering students to have opportunities to understand and reflect on their co-curricular experiences and see their reflections as an essential part of their ongoing development as engineers. It also serves as a reflection tool for educators to understand how students construct their engineering identity and develop their professional identity.