Contextualising Engineering Identity: A Review of Cultural, Societal, and Employability Influences in Engineering Education

Engineering identity is increasingly recognised as an important construct in engineering education because it shapes students’ motivation, belonging, persistence, and transition into professional engineering roles. Existing engineering identity scholarship has provided valuable conceptual foundations, particularly through dimensions such as interest, performance and competence, and recognition. However, much of this literature has been developed in Western higher education contexts and may not fully explain how engineering identity is shaped within non-Western, collectivist, and industry-driven educational systems. This conceptual review examines how cultural, societal, institutional, and employability-related influences shape engineering identity development, with particular attention to Southeast Asian and Malaysian engineering education contexts. The review synthesises literature on engineering identity models, social recognition, family expectations, gendered experiences, institutional learning environments, professional accreditation, industry exposure, and employability. It argues that cultural and societal influences should be understood as active identity-forming forces rather than background factors. It also argues that industry readiness and employability should not be treated only as graduate outcomes, but as processes through which students test their competence, receive professional recognition, and develop confidence in becoming engineers. The paper contributes to engineering identity scholarship by proposing a broader contextual understanding of identity formation that integrates social, cultural, institutional, and professional conditions. Such a perspective can support more responsive engineering education practices, stronger university-industry alignment, and future research on contextualised engineering identity development in non-Western and Malaysian settings.

Engineering identity; engineering education; cultural influence; employability; Malaysia

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