A cross-sectional study of engineering majors' self-efficacy

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] This is a cross-sectional study of 519 undergraduate engineering majors' self-efficacy beliefs at a large, research extensive, Midwestern university. Engineering self-efficacy is an individual's belief in his or her ability to successfully negotiate the academic hurdles of the engineering program. Engineering self-efficacy was obtained from four variables: self-efficacy 1, self-efficacy 2, engineering career outcome expectations, and coping self-efficacy. The four variables were analyzed using a repeated analysis of variance among levels of gender, ethnicity, years students had been enrolled in their engineering program, engineering specialty, transfer status, and freshmen interest group participation. No significant differences in mean engineering self-efficacy scores were found by gender, ethnicity, specialty, transfer status, or freshmen interest group participation. Significant differences in engineering self-efficacy were found among years students had been enrolled in the program. Significant interactions were also found due to the following: a) women had significantly lower mean coping self-efficacy scores than men; b) African Americans had significantly lower mean career outcome expectations scores; c) chemical engineering majors had significantly higher self-efficacy 2 scores than all other engineering specialties; and d) transfer students had significantly lower self-efficacy 1 scores than non-transfer students.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph. D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Learning, teaching and curriculum (MU)

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Missouri--Columbia

Year dc:date.issued

2008

Author dc:creator

• Concannon, James Peter, 1977-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Barrow, Lloyd H.

Statement dc:rights

• Access to files is limited to the University of Missouri--Columbia with SSO login.

Language dc:language.iso

eng, English

DOI

https://doi.org/10.32469/10355/6050

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:mospace.umsystem.edu:10355/6050