A phenomenological study factors African American female college students face participating in engineering STEM majors

The purpose of this qualitative research methods study with empirical phenomenological research design was to explore the lived experiences of the African American females compared to other populations entering engineering or other Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program in colleges. Although African American females have made some strides in educational achievements, there continues to significantly less progress in engineering and other STEM disciplines. Many occupations in the science, technology, engineering, and math fields require degrees in STEM to be considered for interviews and eventual employment. The African American female population in order to be more successful in engineering or other STEM programs it will be necessary to understand what barriers may exist that hinder positive results on an ongoing basis. The general problem of low numbers of female minority college students in STEM programs continues to create concerns for administrators and instructors. Proper evaluation and recommended improvements are needed to improve success rates for the African American female students. The goal of this research was to interview approximately 20 -- 25 African America female college students in engineering and other STEM programs to identify what obstacles may exist that might hinder their success in these programs and make recommendations for improvements in the future.