A Systematic Literature Review of Survey Research on Engineering Identity
Abstract
Over the last several years, engineering identity research has gained prominence in education research circles, motivated by connections between "identity" and widely-desired outcomes such as career pursuits and selection of STEM college majors. However, quantitative research on engineering identity remains limited, with most studies focusing on qualitative research. This systematic literature review examines 85 research papers from 2007 to 2022, concentrating on survey measures related to engineering identity. Results of the review show a) a concentration of research at the postsecondary levels, with K-12 students underrepresented, and b) heavy male gender representation in survey samples. The analysis also revealed that several theoretical frameworks are frequently employed to operationalize engineering identity, but with a preference for the Engineering Identity Development Scale, the Physics Identity Scale, and the Critical Engineering Agency Framework. Drawing from our analysis, we consider the consequences of both 1) existing age and gender gaps in quantitative engineering identity research and 2) preferences of particular identity frameworks within and across age and gender categories. We discuss how these possible consequences point to focal areas in engineering identity survey-based research.
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BibTeX
@misc{awsaf2026systematic,
title = {{A Systematic Literature Review of Survey Research on Engineering Identity}},
author = {Amdad Ahmed Awsaf and Heidi Cian and Remy Dou},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.00013},
eprint = {2610.00013},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.00013},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - A Systematic Literature Review of Survey Research on Engineering Identity
AU - Amdad Ahmed Awsaf
AU - Heidi Cian
AU - Remy Dou
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.00013
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.00013
AB - Over the last several years, engineering identity research has gained prominence in education research circles, motivated by connections between "identity" and widely-desired outcomes such as career pursuits and selection of STEM college majors. However, quantitative research on engineering identity remains limited, with most studies focusing on qualitative research. This systematic literature review examines 85 research papers from 2007 to 2022, concentrating on survey measures related to engineering identity. Results of the review show a) a concentration of research at the postsecondary levels, with K-12 students underrepresented, and b) heavy male gender representation in survey samples. The analysis also revealed that several theoretical frameworks are frequently employed to operationalize engineering identity, but with a preference for the Engineering Identity Development Scale, the Physics Identity Scale, and the Critical Engineering Agency Framework. Drawing from our analysis, we consider the consequences of both 1) existing age and gender gaps in quantitative engineering identity research and 2) preferences of particular identity frameworks within and across age and gender categories. We discuss how these possible consequences point to focal areas in engineering identity survey-based research.
ER -