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Are There Differences in Engineering Self-Efficacy Between Minority and Majority Students Across Academic Levels?

Year: 2020

Type: conference-paper

Abstract: Topic/session: New research and trends related to underrepresented minorities inengineering Are There Differences in Engineering Self-Efficacy Between Minority and Majority Students Across Academic Levels?AbstractWilliam A. Wulf, former president of the National Academy of Engineering, expressedthe importance of diversity in engineering when he said, “We need to understand why ina society so dependent on technology, a society that benefits so richly from the results ofengineering, a society that rewards engineers so well, engineering isn’t perceived as adesirable occupation.” Despite his sentiments, little progress has been made to attractminorities in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).The students who are attracted are rarely retained. Nationally, the retention to graduationrate for minority students is 37.8% compared to majority students 46.1% (NACME,2008).Something happens between a students’ freshman year and the point they decide to eitherswitch their major or drop-out of school altogether. Do minority students feel included intheir courses and labs? Do their expectations of what will happen upon graduating withan engineering degree change at some point? These questions are in fact related to theirengineering self-efficacy.Engineering self-efficacy is a person’s belief that he/she can successfully navigate theengineering curriculum and eventually become a practicing engineer. Strategies thatincrease awareness of engineering self-efficacy in minority students have the ability toimprove persistence and sense of belonging for minority students in engineering.This paper compares the self-efficacy constructs of minority and majority engineeringstudents at a predominantly white institution and examines similarities and differencesacross academic levels. The factors that are significant in predicting minority studentpersistence and sense of belonging in engineering are also explored.

Source: ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

DOI: 10.18260/1-2--17505

Authors: K.L. Jordan, Susan Amato-Henderson, Sheryl Sorby, Tammy Haut Donahue

Institution: Michigan Technological University

Language: English

Topic: Career Development and Diversity

Subfield: Applied Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Quality education, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Science Foundation, American Society for Engineering Education, Michigan Technological University, Division of Undergraduate Education