Outcome Expectations and Environmental Factors Associated with Engineering College-Going: A Case Study

Family, school, and community contexts each link to secondary school enrollment, yet these factors have been comparatively examined only in limited ways. A holistic examination of contextual factors will be particularly important for engineering where college enrollment patterns vary by demographics. To begin explaining patterns of engineering college-going at different high schools across the Commonwealth of Virginia, we answered the following research questions: Within a single school system and from a socializer’s perspective, what outcome expectations and environmental factors influence students’ engineering-related postsecondary educational plans? How are these factors the same and different between high schools within a school district? Using a single-case-study approach and in-depth interviews with socializers (teachers, administrators, and counselors), we examined similarities and differences in outcome expectations and environmental factors at three high schools within a single school district. By integrating the results regarding outcome expectations and environmental factors, three important findings emerged: (1) relationships between outcome expectations and environmental factors vary across schools within the same system, (2) proximity to a postsecondary institution is not just about physical distance, and (3) messaging regarding career pathways matters. Each of these has practical implications but can also set the foundation for future research

Re(engineering) student success: constructing knowledge on students’ experiences in engineering education programs to encourage holistic student success

If a group of engineering deans were asked whether students at their institutions were successful and why, what information might they immediately or subconsciously use to measure or gauge the engineering students’ success? If only academic performance outcomes like GPA, individual course grades, or graduation rate race to their minds, then their rationale aligns with the majority of researchers. My research seeks to shift the mindset that frames engineering student success mainly within the boundaries of academic performance measures. By measuring students’ perceived autonomy, competence, social integration and relatedness within their programs, and aspirations after graduation, one can more accurately judge whether engineering students are achieving holistic student success. By utilizing surveys and exit interviews for freshmen Summer Bridge Program (SBP) participants, interviewing continuing and past SBP participants, and surveying engineering seniors, this research gathered more in-depth information on students’ experiences. In turn, one can better understand how the structures of engineering summer and undergraduate programs either contribute to or detract from student success and motivation. Results from SBP freshmen indicated that community building, structured studying, real-world experiences, residential life, and mentorship were perceived as valuable components by the students. Also, a perceived difficulty gap, based on students’ prior engineering experience(s), was uncovered. For continuing SBP students, there was an emphasis on Black community, leadership, and discourse when moving from SBP to larger departments. Lastly, within the seniors, we found that students tend to choose engineering careers regardless of their undergraduate experiences. This information can be used in practice for enhancing programmatic planning and design as well as potentially developing novel program components that contribute to students becoming more self-determined, motivated engineers. It is my hope that one day in the near future, engineering education faculty, administrators, and leaders will cultivate and measure success based on a more comprehensive assessment of lived experiences and better recognize how their decisions regarding programmatic structures impact students’ success and motivation

The individual and institutional experiences of the young apprenticeship ‘experiment’

The Young Apprenticeship (YA) programme is the latest in a long line of vocational qualifications to exist fleetingly within the English education system. Introduced in 2004, the YA programme offered Key Stage 4 students the opportunity to combine academic and vocational study within specific industrial sectors.Evaluative studies of a quantitative nature evidence a positive response, both in terms of perceived usefulness and actual success (90% completion rate of the Sport YA, (SkillsActive, 2009)) from students, providers and employers. Never attaining more than pilot status, the programme was closed to new entrants in 2011 following recommendations made by the Wolf Report, condemning it to the role of yet another vocational education ‘experiment’. Little is known about how the students experience a programme that occupies a significant proportion of their Key Stage 4 timetable. Outside of their immediate institutional context, the YA students are a hidden population.This study seeks to examine and give voice to the experiences of the individuals who have participated in the programme, within their institutional context. Through a qualitative research methodology, it is proposed that observed changes in individual disposition during participation in the YA programme allow it to be considered as a ‘lived experience’ for the participants. It is argued that Situated Learning theory and the Community of Practice concept are useful analytical tools through which to make sense of the learning processes in which the YA students engage

Mathematics Self-Efficacy and the Smarter Balanced Assessment: An Intersection of Race, Socioeconomic Status and Gender

This quantitative study investigated the relationship between the mathematics self-efficacy of high school seniors and their 11th grade mathematics scores on the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC). This study also examined the interactions of race, gender, and socioeconomic status with mathematics self-efficacy. This study employed survey research using the 8-item, self-efficacy subscale of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) created by Pintrich and McKeachie (1993), which was modified to measure mathematics self-efficacy. Seven hundred and fifteen high school seniors were invited to participate in the study and 233 responded, which constituted a response rate of 33 percent. A multiple regression model was used to analyze the relationship between students’ scores on the mathematics SBAC and their mathematics self-efficacy. Results indicated that 1) There was a statistically significant relationship between high levels mathematics self-efficacy and high scores on the mathematics portion of the SBAC. Race also significantly contributed to the multiple regression model created by this study to predict a negative relationship between students of color and mathematics SBAC scores. 2) There was no difference between the mathematics self-efficacy of low-SES students of color and low-SES White students; between White males and males of color, or between White females and females of color. While mathematics self-efficacy showed little difference in students across gender, race, and socioeconomic status, students of color showed a negative relationship to their scores on the SBAC. There continues to be an achievement gap in mathematics regardless of the mathematics self-efficacy of students of color

The Underrepresentation of Women in Building Trades Programs and Careers: Perceptions Behind the Educational and Career Decision-Making Process

Abstract Women may perceive barriers when considering educational and career options in predominately male-dominated STEM-focused (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programs and settings. This qualitative, phenomenological study, emphasizing the social cognitive career theory, explored women’s perceptions that influenced the decision-making process to pursue nontraditional educational paths and careers in career and technical education fields such as architecture and construction while considering gender-associated challenges, culture and racial-ethnicity, and career and technical education stigma. Six adult female participants (three students and three leaders) responded to semistructured questions within a focus group and one-on-one interviews via telephone conferencing. A thematic analysis process using in vivo coding and Dedoose assisted in revealing 13 themes. A predominant finding included that building trades programs and careers were not seen as viable options for women. What women perceive as barriers may assist career and technical education leaders in devising strategies to increase female student enrollment in their architecture and construction programs, preparing women for careers in the building trades. A collaborative effort approach was recommended between career and technical education, businesses, companies, organizations, and other educational entities to produce a “one-stop-shop” digital platform highlighting educational programs and career opportunities within the building trades. Keywords: architecture and construction programs, career and technical education, STEM, adult women in the building trades, female underrepresentation in predominately male settings, shortage of skilled trades workers, educational and career decision-making, barriers, challenges, perceptions, phenomenology, social cognitive career theor

The student-produced electronic portfolio in craft education

The authors studied primary school students’ experiences of using an electronic portfolio in their craft education over four years. A stimulated recall interview was applied to collect user experiences and qualitative content analysis to analyse the collected data. The results indicate that the electronic portfolio was experienced as a multipurpose tool to support learning. It makes the learning process visible and in that way helps focus on and improves the quality of learning. © ISLS.Peer reviewe

MOTIVATION AND GENDER DYNAMICS IN HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE: THE EFFECT OF GENDER COMPOSITION ON MOTIVATION IN SMALL GROUP INQUIRY AND ENGINEERING TASKS

While current research shows that the gender gap in science achievement has disappeared (Miller, Blessing, & Schwartz, 2006), girls continue to show declining levels of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) engagement in school. Literature shows that various societal and educational factors impact girls’ STEM motivation disproportionately to boys (Bennett & Hogarth, 2009; Breakwell & Robertson, 2001; Brotman & Moore, 2008; Campbell & Clewell, 1999; Cokadar & Kulce, 2008; Huebner, 2009; Jovanovic & King, 1998; Lee, 1998; Miller, Blessing, & Schwartz, 2006; Osborne, Simon, & Collins, 2003; Solomon, 1997). The onset of this phenomenon occurs in the middle school years (AAUW, 1994; Bennett & Hogarth, 2009; Brotman & Moore, 2008; Galton, Gray, & Ruddock, 2003; Murphy & Whitelegg, 2006; Scantlebury & Baker, 2007; Solomon, 1997) and is compounded throughout high school and beyond by additional barriers, including societal stereotypes and mismatched values between females and the STEM community (Davis, 2001; Davis, 2002; Hill, Corbett, & St. Rose, 2010; NRC, 2007; Solomon, 1997). Ryan and Deci’s Self-Determination Theory (2000a, 2000b) provides a meaningful framework to explore this phenomenon by asserting that the conditions of relatedness, autonomy, and competence must be present for an individual to experience intrinsic levels of motivation. Science classrooms allowing students to work in cooperative groups on tasks that offer a high level of autonomy and an appropriate level of scaffolding could thus provide an optimum scenario for increased motivation. Yet, individuals must also feel that they are legitimate members of these groups (relatedness) in order for the condition to have a positive effect on motivation. According to the Stereotype Inoculation Model (Dasgupta, 2011a), individuals are more likely to show motivation in a particular domain when they can identify with their in-group peers, especially when those peers are also viewed as experts. This model posits that gender majority may provide this condition for girls in small science groups, allowing them to transcend stereotypes that have inhibited their STEM engagement and creating a scenario in which they are better able to view their possible selves as members of that group, thus increasing their levels of motivation within that context

Collaborative yet independent: Information practices in the physical sciences

In many ways, the physical sciences are at the forefront of using digital tools and methods to work with information and data. However, the fields and disciplines that make up the physical sciences are by no means uniform, and physical scientists find, use, and disseminate information in a variety of ways. This report examines information practices in the physical sciences across seven cases, and demonstrates the richly varied ways in which physical scientists work, collaborate, and share information and data. This report details seven case studies in the physical sciences. For each case, qualitative interviews and focus groups were used to understand the domain. Quantitative data gathered from a survey of participants highlights different information strategies employed across the cases, and identifies important software used for research. Finally, conclusions from across the cases are drawn, and recommendations are made. This report is the third in a series commissioned by the Research Information Network (RIN), each looking at information practices in a specific domain (life sciences, humanities, and physical sciences). The aim is to understand how researchers within a range of disciplines find and use information, and in particular how that has changed with the introduction of new technologies