A NARRATIVE INQUIRY APPROACH TO COMMUNITY CULTURAL WEALTH OF BLACK MEN IN ENGINEERING

Abstract

This study engages in methodological activism−using research methods for the explicit purpose of enacting social change. We chose the culturally relevant, asset-based theory of community cultural wealth to study a Black man's educational journey towards an engineering degree. Our focus on the story of one individual disaggregates his experience from the experiences of other participants, allowing us to deeply interrogate theoretical constructs. By employing narrative methodology, our work advances theoretical understanding of community cultural wealth, revealing temporal nuances, and confirms that different forms of capital can be used in multiple, overlapping ways. Our choice of narrative methodology also addresses recent critiques of shallow analysis of community cultural wealth in STEM education research. Consistent with critical race scholarship, we situate our work in its sociohistorical context and reject an interest convergence argument for its value.