Creative Self-Efficacy of Undergraduate Women Engineering Majors

Delahanty, Christine Michelle; Silverman, Jason

doi:10.18260/1-2--36877

Cited by 3 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 24 publications

(74 reference statements)

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“…This study continues research conducted by Delahanty and Silverman (2021) of undergraduate women engineering majors, their level of creative self-efficacy (CSE), and lived experiences that lead them choose engineering as a major [1], [2]. The importance of creativity in engineering has been highlighted in the research and has been studied with respect to the success of women students in the engineering major and in industry [3], [4], [5], [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Lived Experiences that Influence How Women Engineering Majors Describe Themselves as Creative

Delahanty,

Silverman

2022 ASEE Annual Conference &Amp; Exposition Proceedings

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Engineering is a creative profession where diverse perspectives of both men and women are crucial to the field. The importance of better understanding the pipeline of female students into engineering, and the path to their success in the major is evident. In 2017, women comprised approximately 20% of engineering graduates, up from 18% in 1997, and 15% never entered the engineering workforce. In 2019, women comprised 48% of the workforce, 34% of the STEM workforce, and only 16% of practicing engineers, a 3% increase from 2009. In an effort to better understand these disparities, this mixed methods research investigated the creative self-efficacy (CSE) of women engineering majors and their beliefs about creativity in relation to lived experiences and explores the research question: In what ways do undergraduate women engineering students describe their creativity and how their lived experiences influenced their decision to major in engineering? The researchers investigated the lived experiences of women engineering students before they entered the engineering major in relation to the way they described themselves as creative. A survey of CSE and beliefs about creativity was administered to 121 undergraduate women engineering students who volunteered for this study. Interviews were conducted of 15 participants selected from survey results with different levels of CSE who met the researcher's criteria for success in the engineering major. The findings of this study lead to several conclusions: (1) students' descriptions of themselves as creative corresponded more with the arts than to innovation in engineering; (2) students who described themselves as less creative: (a) had a lower level of CSE; (b) had a greater exposure to engineering in high school through engineeringcentered courses and clubs; (c) had a family member who worked in the profession; (d) described more negative classroom experiences at all educational levels that involved intimidation, isolation, and gender-bias.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Lived Experiences that Influence How Women Engineering Majors Describe Themselves as Creative

Delahanty,

Silverman

2022 ASEE Annual Conference &Amp; Exposition Proceedings

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“…We will further elaborate on how these factors have been examined in multiple contexts. Several studies in the United States [6][7][8][9] have focused on attempts to understand why women drop out of STEM careers. For instance, Delahanthy and Silverman [7] conducted a study with a sample taken in Philadelphia, finding self-efficacy, a factor related to the sense of belonging, is closely related to previous classroom experiences and the students' relationships.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several studies in the United States [6][7][8][9] have focused on attempts to understand why women drop out of STEM careers. For instance, Delahanthy and Silverman [7] conducted a study with a sample taken in Philadelphia, finding self-efficacy, a factor related to the sense of belonging, is closely related to previous classroom experiences and the students' relationships. Other studies associated women dropping out of STEM programs with the classroom climate, academic performance, and the student's economic situation; having a positive experience in these aspects correlates to students' sense of belonging [8,9].…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, a study in Ireland [10] associates students' belongingness with positive social interaction with other students. As in [7], they mention that creating inclusive learning environments for all students is essential. Looking at the sense of belonging has been identified as a focus factor addressed by research studies, amongst other factors [9][10][11][12].…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sense of Belonging of Women in Construction: Insights from Focus Groups

Quezada-Espinoza,

Silva,

Alvarado

2023 ASEE Annual Conference &Amp; Exposition Proceedings

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is a professor and researcher at the School of Engineering at the Universidad Andres Bello in Santiago, Chile, where currently collaborates with the Educational and Academic Innovation Unit, UNIDA (for its acronym in Spanish), as an instructor in active learning methodologies. Her research interest topics involve university education in STEM areas, faculty and continuing professional development, research-based methodologies, community engagement projects, evaluation tools and technology, and gender issues in STEM education.

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“…Outreach programs have shown to improve self-esteem as well [46], [47]. A study by Delahanty & Silverman found that having strong mentors was an important factor in improving creative self-efficacy [48], and mentorship has been shown to be important to the retention of women more broadly [49], [50]. Additionally, targeted training in spatial reasoning and strategy has been found to contribute to selfconfidence in engineering, especially for women [26], positioning this training to potentially improve both spatial reasoning skills and self-efficacy at once.…”

Section: Self-efficacy Of Individualsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating Computer-Aided Design Software as a Barrier to Women’s Engagement in Engineering: A Focused Literature Review

DaMaren,

Olechowski

2022 ASEE Annual Conference &Amp; Exposition Proceedings

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in Industrial Engineering with the Ready Lab. Her research focuses on team dynamics and gender considerations in Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software education. She previously worked as Project Coordinator for the Engineering Collaboration for Online and Remote Education (E-CORE/CIEL Project), a national Canadian initiative to support instructors in shifting to remote instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Creative Self-Efficacy of Undergraduate Women Engineering Majors

Cited by 3 publications

References 24 publications

Lived Experiences that Influence How Women Engineering Majors Describe Themselves as Creative

Lived Experiences that Influence How Women Engineering Majors Describe Themselves as Creative

Sense of Belonging of Women in Construction: Insights from Focus Groups

Evaluating Computer-Aided Design Software as a Barrier to Women’s Engagement in Engineering: A Focused Literature Review

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