Technical Communication Quarterly Jan 2020

Student Perceptions of Diversity in Technical and Professional Communication Academic Programs

Chris Dayley Utah State University

Abstract

This article reports the results of a survey of technical and professional communication (TPC) undergraduate and graduate students regarding their perceptions of diversity in TPC academic programs. The responses of the total group of respondents and a subset of respondents identifying as a person of color (POC) are compared. Results show that both the overall group and the group of students identifying as persons of color see their TPC programs as both diverse and supportive of diversity. Respondents identifying as a person of color also reported that they were not worried about fitting in when enrolling in their TPC programs. However, the survey also shows that TPC students who identify as persons of color note a lack of students and faculty of color in TPC academic programs and departments. Possible reasons for respondents’ perceptions of having diverse and supportive departments while also observing the lack of POC within the department are discussed.

Journal
Technical Communication Quarterly
Published
2020-01-02
DOI
10.1080/10572252.2019.1635210
Open Access
Closed
Topics
professional writing

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (6)

  1. Carthell (2025)
    Connecting Technical and Professional Writing Course Topics to Majors and (Proj…
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  2. Gaillet et al. (2025)
    Symposium on Intergenerational Graduate Mentorship
    Rhetoric Review
  3. Agbozo et al. (2025)
    A Black Fetus? Examining Social Justice in Medical Illustrations in Technical a…
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  4. Veeramoothoo et al. (2024)
    Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) in Introductory Technical and …
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  5. Sánchez (2023)
    Slow Civic Violence and the Removal of USPS Mail Sorting Machines During the 20…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Show all 6 →
  1. Graham et al. (2022)
    AI for Social Justice: New Methodological Horizons in Technical Communication
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Cites in this index (9)

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    Supporting Human Dignity and Human Rights
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Jones (2016)
    The Technical Communicator as Advocate
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  3. Agboka (2013)
    Participatory Localization: A Social Justice Approach to Navigating Unenfranchi…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Haas (2012)
    Race, Rhetoric, and Technology
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  5. Rude (2008)
    Introduction to the Special Issue on Business and Technical Communication in th…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
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    Technical Communication Quarterly
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    Technical Communication Quarterly
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    Technical Communication Quarterly
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    Technical Communication Quarterly
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