{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/119187"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/119187","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Countering the John Henryism Narrative: A Case Study to Explore How Early-Career Black Engineers Respond to Working Conditions","abstract":"Adaptability is crucial in the engineering workplace, particularly for Black engineers. Job postings use different terms such as resiliency, agility, or flexibility to denote the importance of adaptability for a role. However, there is a lack of exploration into what adaptability means for individuals from racially marginalized backgrounds. For Black engineers, navigating work responsibilities is complicated by the social ramifications of their racial identity. Simply framing their efforts as adaptability overlooks the impact of racialization and the complex interplay of working conditions on career decisions. This study aimed to understand how being racialized as Black influences how Black engineers respond to changing working conditions. Working conditions encompass the tools used for work, the workplace environment, and the workforce composition. The central question for this study was: How do Black engineers respond to various working conditions encountered during the early stages of their engineering career? A multiple case study approach was employed, focusing on the experiences of eight early-career Black engineers. The participants were selected based on their self-identification as Black, regardless of ethnicity, considering the commonplace of racialization in the United States. Interviews and resumes were utilized to comprehensively capture their work experiences. Analysis revealed ten key characteristics of working conditions and five adaptability responses. These responses exhibited a temporal nature, leading to the development of sub-adaptability responses. Vignettes were crafted to contextualize participants' responses to salient working conditions. Participants sought to achieve work-life balance, derive meaning from their work, and have a sense of belonging in their careers. The perception of their ability to achieve these goals influenced the turnover intention of Black engineers within their organization. This study expands our understanding of factors influencing Black engineers' retention and informs prospective engineers of prioritized outcomes other Black engineers have used to navigate their careers. These findings can be used by organizations to inform the strategies they use to foster the retention and advancement of Black engineers in the engineering workforce.","abstract_html":"Adaptability is crucial in the engineering workplace, particularly for Black engineers. Job postings use different terms such as resiliency, agility, or flexibility to denote the importance of adaptability for a role. However, there is a lack of exploration into what adaptability means for individuals from racially marginalized backgrounds. For Black engineers, navigating work responsibilities is complicated by the social ramifications of their racial identity. Simply framing their efforts as adaptability overlooks the impact of racialization and the complex interplay of working conditions on career decisions. This study aimed to understand how being racialized as Black influences how Black engineers respond to changing working conditions. Working conditions encompass the tools used for work, the workplace environment, and the workforce composition. The central question for this study was: How do Black engineers respond to various working conditions encountered during the early stages of their engineering career? A multiple case study approach was employed, focusing on the experiences of eight early-career Black engineers. The participants were selected based on their self-identification as Black, regardless of ethnicity, considering the commonplace of racialization in the United States. Interviews and resumes were utilized to comprehensively capture their work experiences. Analysis revealed ten key characteristics of working conditions and five adaptability responses. These responses exhibited a temporal nature, leading to the development of sub-adaptability responses. Vignettes were crafted to contextualize participants' responses to salient working conditions. Participants sought to achieve work-life balance, derive meaning from their work, and have a sense of belonging in their careers. The perception of their ability to achieve these goals influenced the turnover intention of Black engineers within their organization. This study expands our understanding of factors influencing Black engineers' retention and informs prospective engineers of prioritized outcomes other Black engineers have used to navigate their careers. These findings can be used by organizations to inform the strategies they use to foster the retention and advancement of Black engineers in the engineering workforce.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Pee, Crystal Meagan"],"institution":"Virginia Tech","degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy","degree_level":"doctoral","degree_discipline":"Engineering Education","degree_department":"Engineering Education","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["Lee, Walter Curtis"],"committee_members":["Grohs, Jacob R.","Sajadi, Susan","Ratcliffe, Donna Cassell"],"year":2024,"date_issued":"2024-05-30","date_published":"2024-05-30","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:21Z","subjects":["race","engineering","adaptability","career theory","case study"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["In Copyright"],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:40420"],"render_values":[{"text":"vt_gsexam:40420","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/10919/119187","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.committeechair","label":"Committee Chair","values":["Lee, Walter Curtis"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Grohs, Jacob R.","Sajadi, Susan","Ratcliffe, Donna Cassell"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Engineering Education"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Pee, Crystal Meagan"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2024-05-31T08:00:21Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2024-05-31T08:00:21Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2024-05-30"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Tech"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Engineering Education"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["doctoral"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["race","engineering","adaptability","career theory","case study"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:40420"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/10919/119187"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Adaptability is crucial in the engineering workplace, particularly for Black engineers. Job postings use different terms such as resiliency, agility, or flexibility to denote the importance of adaptability for a role. However, there is a lack of exploration into what adaptability means for individuals from racially marginalized backgrounds. For Black engineers, navigating work responsibilities is complicated by the social ramifications of their racial identity. Simply framing their efforts as adaptability overlooks the impact of racialization and the complex interplay of working conditions on career decisions. This study aimed to understand how being racialized as Black influences how Black engineers respond to changing working conditions. Working conditions encompass the tools used for work, the workplace environment, and the workforce composition. The central question for this study was: How do Black engineers respond to various working conditions encountered during the early stages of their engineering career? A multiple case study approach was employed, focusing on the experiences of eight early-career Black engineers. The participants were selected based on their self-identification as Black, regardless of ethnicity, considering the commonplace of racialization in the United States. Interviews and resumes were utilized to comprehensively capture their work experiences. Analysis revealed ten key characteristics of working conditions and five adaptability responses. These responses exhibited a temporal nature, leading to the development of sub-adaptability responses. Vignettes were crafted to contextualize participants' responses to salient working conditions. Participants sought to achieve work-life balance, derive meaning from their work, and have a sense of belonging in their careers. The perception of their ability to achieve these goals influenced the turnover intention of Black engineers within their organization. This study expands our understanding of factors influencing Black engineers' retention and informs prospective engineers of prioritized outcomes other Black engineers have used to navigate their careers. These findings can be used by organizations to inform the strategies they use to foster the retention and advancement of Black engineers in the engineering workforce."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstractgeneral","label":"General Abstract","values":["Adaptability is important for Blac engineers in the engineering workplace. Adaptability is denoted within job postings with different terms such as resiliency, agility, or flexibility. Even though adaptability is generally deemed to be important, there is a lack of exploration into what adaptability means for individuals from racially marginalized backgrounds. For Black engineers, navigating work responsibilities includes navigating and understanding the social ramifications of their racial identity. Therefore, simply framing the efforts of racially marginalized engineers as adaptability overlooks the impact of racialization and the complex interplay of working conditions on career decisions. This study aimed to understand how being racialized as Black influences how Black engineers respond to changing working conditions. Working conditions encompass the tools used for work, the workplace environment, and the workforce composition. The central question for this study was: How do Black engineers respond to various working conditions encountered during the early stages of their engineering career? A multiple case study approach was employed, focusing on the experiences of eight early-career Black engineers. Participants sought to achieve work-life balance, derive meaning from their work, and have a sense of belonging in their careers. The perception of their ability to achieve these goals influenced the turnover intention of Black engineers within their organization. Analysis revealed ten key characteristics of working conditions and five adaptability responses. This study expands our understanding of factors influencing Black engineers' retention and informs prospective engineers of prioritized outcomes other Black engineers have used to navigate their careers. These findings can be used by organizations to inform the strategies they use to foster the retention and advancement of Black engineers in the engineering workforce."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Doctor of Philosophy"]},{"key":"dc:format.medium","label":"Dc Format Medium","values":["ETD"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Countering the John Henryism Narrative: A Case Study to Explore How Early-Career Black Engineers Respond to Working Conditions"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeechair":["Lee, Walter Curtis"],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Grohs, Jacob R.","Sajadi, Susan","Ratcliffe, Donna Cassell"],"dc:contributor.department":["Engineering Education"],"dc:creator":["Pee, Crystal Meagan"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2024-05-31T08:00:21Z"],"dc:date.available":["2024-05-31T08:00:21Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2024-05-30"],"dc:description.abstract":["Adaptability is crucial in the engineering workplace, particularly for Black engineers. Job postings use different terms such as resiliency, agility, or flexibility to denote the importance of adaptability for a role. However, there is a lack of exploration into what adaptability means for individuals from racially marginalized backgrounds. For Black engineers, navigating work responsibilities is complicated by the social ramifications of their racial identity. Simply framing their efforts as adaptability overlooks the impact of racialization and the complex interplay of working conditions on career decisions. This study aimed to understand how being racialized as Black influences how Black engineers respond to changing working conditions. Working conditions encompass the tools used for work, the workplace environment, and the workforce composition. The central question for this study was: How do Black engineers respond to various working conditions encountered during the early stages of their engineering career? A multiple case study approach was employed, focusing on the experiences of eight early-career Black engineers. The participants were selected based on their self-identification as Black, regardless of ethnicity, considering the commonplace of racialization in the United States. Interviews and resumes were utilized to comprehensively capture their work experiences. Analysis revealed ten key characteristics of working conditions and five adaptability responses. These responses exhibited a temporal nature, leading to the development of sub-adaptability responses. Vignettes were crafted to contextualize participants' responses to salient working conditions. Participants sought to achieve work-life balance, derive meaning from their work, and have a sense of belonging in their careers. The perception of their ability to achieve these goals influenced the turnover intention of Black engineers within their organization. This study expands our understanding of factors influencing Black engineers' retention and informs prospective engineers of prioritized outcomes other Black engineers have used to navigate their careers. These findings can be used by organizations to inform the strategies they use to foster the retention and advancement of Black engineers in the engineering workforce."],"dc:description.abstractgeneral":["Adaptability is important for Blac engineers in the engineering workplace. Adaptability is denoted within job postings with different terms such as resiliency, agility, or flexibility. Even though adaptability is generally deemed to be important, there is a lack of exploration into what adaptability means for individuals from racially marginalized backgrounds. For Black engineers, navigating work responsibilities includes navigating and understanding the social ramifications of their racial identity. Therefore, simply framing the efforts of racially marginalized engineers as adaptability overlooks the impact of racialization and the complex interplay of working conditions on career decisions. This study aimed to understand how being racialized as Black influences how Black engineers respond to changing working conditions. Working conditions encompass the tools used for work, the workplace environment, and the workforce composition. The central question for this study was: How do Black engineers respond to various working conditions encountered during the early stages of their engineering career? A multiple case study approach was employed, focusing on the experiences of eight early-career Black engineers. Participants sought to achieve work-life balance, derive meaning from their work, and have a sense of belonging in their careers. The perception of their ability to achieve these goals influenced the turnover intention of Black engineers within their organization. Analysis revealed ten key characteristics of working conditions and five adaptability responses. This study expands our understanding of factors influencing Black engineers' retention and informs prospective engineers of prioritized outcomes other Black engineers have used to navigate their careers. These findings can be used by organizations to inform the strategies they use to foster the retention and advancement of Black engineers in the engineering workforce."],"dc:description.degree":["Doctor of Philosophy"],"dc:format.medium":["ETD"],"dc:identifier.other":["vt_gsexam:40420"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/10919/119187"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:publisher":["Virginia Tech"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright"],"dc:rights.uri":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dc:subject":["race","engineering","adaptability","career theory","case study"],"dc:title":["Countering the John Henryism Narrative: A Case Study to Explore How Early-Career Black Engineers Respond to Working Conditions"],"dc:type":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Engineering Education"],"thesis:degree_level":["doctoral"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy"],"thesis:institution_name":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:21Z"}