Comparison Between Electromechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering Students in the Motivation to Choose the Higher Education Study Field

Abstract

The motivations with which students choose the higher programme to follow have a high impact on their academic performance throughout the programme and on the dropout rate. The type of motivation (intrinsic or extrinsic) that leads them to choose the programme area is very important in their resilience in the face of difficulties they may encounter during the programme. It is also important to attract students to a particular area of higher education. In Portugal (in line with other countries), the demand for higher education programmes in the field of Electrical Engineering has been decreasing among students applying for higher education. This decrease occurs despite the area have high employability. On the contrary, the demand for Mechanical Engineering and Electromechanical Engineering programmes has been growing. Given this, it is important to try to understand the motivations that lead students to apply for programmes in the field of Electrical Engineering. For a better understanding of the reasons that differentiate the demand for programmes in the electrical area and the mechanical area, it was considered important to study whether there are relevant differences between the motivation profile for choosing the programmes between Electrical Engineering and Electromechanical Engineering Thus, this study aimed to understand and analyse the motivations that led students from a Portuguese Polytechnic higher education institution to choose the field of Electrical Engineering or of Electromechanical Engineering. To this end, a questionnaire survey was used to collect the students’ perceptions about why they chose the programme. The results show that students highly value the fact that it is a broadband area, with high employability and a wide variety of potential professional activities. The comparison between the programmes shows that the area of mechanics is a factor that motivates students to apply for the Electromechanical Engineering. The results obtained help to understand the motivation profile of students who choose the field of Electrical Engineering and of Electromechanical Engineering, potentially contributing for the higher education institutions to promote actions with a view to enhancing the attractiveness of Electrical Engineering area.