Grit, Mindsets, and Persistence of Engineering Students

Undergraduate engineering programs in the United States suffer from high rates of attrition. To develop the knowledge base that can inform efforts to reduce attrition rates, I conducted three studies focused on helping students persist in engineering. In the first study, I investigated whether grit would help students persist in engineering. In the second study, I explored the gritty behaviors of engineering students who persisted through academic failures. In the third study, I developed an intervention to encourage students to adopt healthy learning dispositions and behaviors to help them persist in engineering. The first study investigates whether a noncognitive factor called Grit could predict engineering retention. Specifically, I explored whether Grit predicts one- and two-year engineering retention, and whether student characteristics and academic performance affect the relationship between Grit and retention. I aggregated data from two first-year engineering cohorts who enrolled in a large public university in Fall 2014 and in Fall 2015. I used binary logistic regression to predict retention with Grit and its two subscales, Perseverance of Effort (PE) and Consistency of Interest (CI), gender, socioeconomic status, ACT math, high school grade-point-average (GPA), first math grade in college, first-semester GPA, first-year cumulative GPA, and second-year cumulative GPA. Grit and second-year cumulative GPA were significant predictors for two-year retention but not one-year retention. PE was a better predictor of retention than Grit for both one- and two-year retention, whereas CI was not a significant predictor of retention at all. Additionally, ACT math, high school GPA, first-semester GPA, and first-year cumulative GPA were significant predictors for both one- and two-year retention. Grit’s utility in predicting engineering retention relies on the PE construct. I recommend more research on the CI construct to better understand how it relates to Grit and success. Though PE is a statistically significant predictor of retention, estimates of predictive power suggest that PE should not be used to predict engineering retention. The second study explores the gritty behaviors of engineering students who persisted through academic failures. Academic failures can influence students to depart from engineering programs. In addition, researchers have identified many reasons for why students depart from engineering including perceived academic difficulty, chilly climates, and poor teaching and advising. However, the problems that departers experience are not unique to them; persisters share the same kinds of problems. To better understand the experience of persisters, I explored the experiences of persisting engineering students who had previously failed a required technical course. I used phenomenography as the qualitative research method to construct categories of description that describe the variety of ways persisting engineering students experienced academic failures. Based on 26 student interviews, I constructed four categories to describe their failure experiences: Unresponsive, Avoidant, Floundering, and Rebounding. Also, I found that students do not always experience failure the same way every time; they can experience failure differently for different instances of failure. Based on our findings, I recommend that failure be normalized in engineering education, and that course and program policies be revised to promote learning from failure. The third study entails the development of a course to encourage students to adopt healthy learning dispositions and behaviors to help them persist in engineering. Healthy learning dispositions encompass attitudes and beliefs that promote learning. Healthy learning behaviors comprise actions such as planning, monitoring, and reflecting that produce effective learning. I used the design-based research methodology to bridge from laboratory studies to classroom implementation. Following design-based research, I used the Transtheoretical Model of Health Behavior Change to guide this translation of theories related to healthy learning dispositions and behaviors into the design of the course. I found that this course helped students adopt the growth mindset and that elements of course design helped students engage in several processes of change. This study demonstrates that theory-informed interventions, like this course, can be effective in helping students adopt healthy learning dispositions. However, more research is needed to help students adopt healthy academic behaviors.National Science Foundation / DUE-1626287Campus Research Board, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign / RB15010Ope

The Study of Grit in Engineering Education Research: a Systematic Literature Review

Researchontheroleofgrit–definedasbothperseveranceandpassionfor long-termgoals–onhumanperformancehasbeenconductedforthepast decade. It has been suggested that this non-cognitive factor is a better predictor of students’ retention than traditional academic measures. These findings hold relevance for engineering education research but studies on this area are still scarce. This paper provides a systematic review of the current state of research on grit and its correlates in engineering higher education research. Publications were identified using three types of databases specific to engineering education; a final set of 31 relevant records was analysed by type of population, methods, research topics and main results. Most of the reviewed studies implemented quantitative methodologies to assess grit and also used one of the two versions of Duckworth’s Grit scale. Key findings are that in engineering education research, both the conceptualisation of grit and research reporting procedures have been inconsistent. Such inconsistency hinders interpretation of the impact of grit in engineering education. In response, new research avenues and best practices for reporting are proffered

The study of grit in engineering education research: a systematic literature review

Researchontheroleofgrit–definedasbothperseveranceandpassionfor long-termgoals–onhumanperformancehasbeenconductedforthepast decade. It has been suggested that this non-cognitive factor is a better predictor of students’ retention than traditional academic measures. These findings hold relevance for engineering education research but studies on this area are still scarce. This paper provides a systematic review of the current state of research on grit and its correlates in engineering higher education research. Publications were identified using three types of databases specific to engineering education; a final set of 31 relevant records was analysed by type of population, methods, research topics and main results. Most of the reviewed studies implemented quantitative methodologies to assess grit and also used one of the two versions of Duckworth’s Grit scale. Key findings are that in engineering education research, both the conceptualisation of grit and research reporting procedures have been inconsistent. Such inconsistency hinders interpretation of the impact of grit in engineering education. In response, new research avenues and best practices for reporting are proffered

First generation college students: predicting academic success and retention

2016 Summer.Includes bibliographical references.This study sought to better understand the experiences and challenges faced by first generation college students in their first year on campus and what factors predicted academic success and retention for these students. Specifically, this study investigated the impact of demographic variables (gender, ethnicity, family income, and college major), prior academic preparation (high school index) and psychosocial factors (grit, social adjustment, homesickness, financial concern, and institutional commitment) on cumulative first year GPA and retention from the first to second year of college for first generation students. Participants included 3,956 first year college students at a public research university, 950 of which were first generation students. First generation was a significant predictor of both first year GPA and first to second year retention. Specifically, first generations students were more likely to have lower first year GPAs and were less likely to be retained. Minority status was negatively related to retention from the first to second year in first generation students but not in the overall sample. Although, high school index was the strongest predictor of both first year GPA and first to second year retention for all students in the sample, grit, social adjustment, gender and whether or not the student was a STEM major, also significantly impacted first year GPA for first all students. Institutional commitment, financial concern and homesickness were found to be significantly predictive of first to second year retention in all students. There was also a significant interaction between homesickness and generational status for first year GPA

Understanding How Engineering Identity and Belongingness Predict Grit for First-Generation College Students

Increasing the participation of underrepresented students, including first-generation college students, in engineering plays a central role in sustaining the U.S. research and innovation capacity. Diversity continues to be recognized as an asset in engineering. However, we also know that the culture of engineering has an implicit assumption about who can be and who is recognized as an engineer. There is also a complex relationship between participation in a community of practice and identity. Diverse students must not only author an identity as an engineer but also must grapple with how that identity, historically constructed as white and masculine, becomes a part of how they see themselves. This research study uses structural equation modeling to examine how first-generation college students’ engineering identity and sense of belongingness in engineering serve as mediators for students’ grit in terms of persistence of effort and consistency of interest. Results reveal that engineering identity has a positive direct effect on students’ sense of belongingness. Both engineering identity and belongingness have a positive direct effect on persistence of effort but were not significant predictors of consistency of interest. Additionally, belongingness is a mediator between engineering identity and persistence of effort. These results begin to uncover how grit is not a stand-alone measure and defies the idea that some students have it while others do not. Persistence of effort is present for first-generation college students when they see themselves as the kinds of people that can do engineering and feel a sense of belongingness within the field. The results of this work highlights ways to support grit development in first-generation college students

BMP treatment technologies, monitoring needs, and knowledge gaps: status of the knowledge and relevance within the Tahoe Basin

This Technical memorandum fulfills Task 2 for Agreement 03-495 between El Dorado County and the Office of Water Programs at California State University Sacramento and their co-authors, Bachand & Associates and the University of California Tahoe Research Group: 1) a review of current stormwater treatment Best Management Practices (BMP) in the Tahoe Basin and their potential effectiveness in removing fine particles and reducing nutrient concentrations; 2) an assessment of the potential for improving the performance of different types of existing BMPs through retrofitting or better maintenance practices; 3) a review of additional promising treatment technologies not currently in use in the Tahoe Basin; and 4) a list of recommendations to help address the knowledge gaps in BMP design and performance. ... (PDF contains 67 pages

The Relationship between Grit and Academic, Military and Physical Performance at the United States Military Academy

Perseverance (persistence) is a personality trait that has been historically measured through the presentation of difficult or impossible tasks and then observations made as to how long an individual continues to attempt to solve the problem or complete the task. The determination of perseverance was then made after the attempt but there were few reliable methods to predict the level of perseverance before the effort was given. This study seeks to assess whether perseverance can be discerned during the admissions process and utilizes the recently developed and validated Grit Scale, a 12-question instrument that measures trait-level perseverance and passion for long-term goals. The Grit Scale was given to the United States Military Academy class of 2008 (N= 968) during initial summer training and the graduation outcomes were collected four years later. Controlling for gender and ethnicity, Grit demonstrated a statistically significant relationship with academic achievement, as measured by cumulative grade point average at graduation. In comparison with other traditional admissions predictors (SAT scores and High School Rank), Grit's impact on the variability of grade point averages was again significant, however, not as powerful a predictor as the traditional predictors. Grit was, however, better at predicting higher achievement in the Academy-specific outcomes of military and physical performance scores. Thus, Grit should be considered a complementary predicator of academic achievement with the traditional predictors of SAT scores and high school rank to provide a more detailed profile of admissions candidates

An Examination of Factors Predicting Academic Engagement and Commitment Among Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Students: The Moderating Role of Gender

The purpose of the present study was to examine the role of gender on the relationships between the predictor variables (i.e., sense of belonging, grit, and support systems) and academic engagement and commitment to major among science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students. Specifically, this study proposed that gender would act as a moderator of these relationships such that the relationships between the predictor variables and the outcome variables would be stronger for women than for men in STEM. A total of 254 undergraduates from a university in Northern California participated in an in-person survey. Although results did not show that gender was a moderator of these relationships, it showed a tendency to moderate the relationship between parental support and academic engagement such that men who experienced greater levels of support from parents/guardians were more likely to experience academic engagement. Furthermore, it was found that sense of belonging, grit, and certain types of support were contributors to academic engagement and commitment to one’s major. Based on these findings, it is suggested that academic institutions allocate resources to facilitate belongingness and foster a supportive environment for students. As the demand for STEM workers continues to grow, it would be beneficial to conduct further research in order to look for ways to combat the leaky pipeline and chilly climate that minorities, such as women, face in STEM

Mindset, Mentor, and Money: How Each Influences College Success

Across society, the consistent influx of students enrolling in higher education institutions without a comparable increase in degree attainment has produced a heightened awareness and a desire to identify the factors related to influencing college success. This dissertation aims to develop a greater understanding of three potentially relevant factors and their respective influences in facilitating college success at the University of Arkansas. First, I evaluate the Student Talent Enrichment Program (STEP) Grant program, designed to fulfill low-income first-year students’ financial needs and encourage their persistence on to their second year of college. Second, I study the effectiveness of the BounceBack Mentoring program; it paired peer-mentors with first-year students on academic probation with the goal of changing each student’s academic trajectory. Third, I examine the role of non-cognitive skills, such as conscientiousness, and students’ subjective expectations about their future performance in helping themselves reach their desired goals and in turn, perform beyond their expectations. In general, my findings suggest that access to the STEP grant program neither harms nor promotes short-run outcomes. I also find that the BounceBack Mentoring program show promise in helping undergraduates who are on academic probation improve their academic performance. In addition, I find that students who possess non-cognitive skills, such as conscientiousness and grit, are actively performing beyond expectations. Such findings are important because they highlight the complications, failures, and rewards of building support systems intended to promote, encourage and facilitate student success in a heavily diverse college student population. Overall, this dissertation and its findings lends itself to the fact that facilitating college success does not come from a single source, but likely is a combination of support programs, additional resources, and internal mindsets