What is the relationship between mindset and engineering identity for first year male and female students? An exploratory longitudinal study
Date
2017
Authors
Henderson, Heather Lysbeth, author
Rambo-Hernandez, Karen E., author
Paguyo, Christina H., author
Aterdero, Rebecca A., author
ASEE, publisher
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Abstract
Undergraduate students who leave engineering are most likely to do so during the first two years of coursework (Litzer & Young, 2012). During these first two years, students often encounter difficult coursework that may be not be overtly related to engineering (e.g., advanced calculus, physics; Suresh, 2006) while simultaneously developing their initial engineering identities. Students possessing a fixed mindset (e.g., intelligence based on genetics) versus a growth mindset (e.g., intelligence based on effort and hard work) are more likely to disengage when confronted with highly challenging coursework (Rattan, Savani, Chugh, & Dweck, 2015; Robins & Pals, 2002), which may be related to lower engineering identity. Implicit person theory argues that persons are more likely to persist with challenging tasks if they believe that intelligence is malleable (Robins & Pals, 2002). Additionally, it is well established that women are underrepresented in the field of engineering (Singh, Fouad, Fitzpatrick, & Chang, 2014). While a plethora of research exists to examine what factors contribute to the persistence of women in engineering, such as institutional factors and student characteristics, we focus on the relationship between mindset and engineering identity in this paper. The purpose of this study is to explore whether mindsets influence a student's engineering identity over time and to see if this relationship differs by gender.
Description
Includes bibliographical references.
Paper given at the ASEE's 124th Annual Conference & Exposition in Columbus Ohio, USA, June 25-28, 2017.
Paper ID #19498.
Paper given at the ASEE's 124th Annual Conference & Exposition in Columbus Ohio, USA, June 25-28, 2017.
Paper ID #19498.
Rights Access
Subject
engineering education
diversity in engineering
first-year engineering students
engineering identity
women
underrepresented minorities
inclusive engineering
engineering curriculum