Engineering Students’ Self-Concept Differentiation: Investigation of Identity, Personality, and Authenticity with Implications for Program Retention

Abstract

Kylie Stoup is a senior honors engineering student at James Madison University. Ms. Kylie Stoup graduates with a BS in Engineering in May 2016. She is in the second year of her 2-year-long engineering capstone project so far, involving the design and implementation of a greenway system in Harrisonburg. Her career interests include transportation infrastructure and city planning with a focus in social equity, as well as psychology in engineering education. She plans to enter the workforce following graduation to pursue engineering planning. Despite many efforts, women continue to be underrepresented in engineering. Herein, we seek to contribute to the body of knowledge impacting female engineering student retention challenges. Our theoretical lens is identity theory and self-concept differentiation. More specifically, we used an exploratory approach to assessing freshmen and senior engineering students' personality across engineering and non-engineering contexts. First, we wanted to find personality profiles among engineering freshmen and seniors in engineering settings, and then compare them to their personality in nonacademic settings and authenticity between the two. Personality and authenticity methods, of which were the Big 5 and Authenticity scale, were used in a survey to determine personalities of participants between academic level and gender in their engineering and nonacademic environments. From collecting and analyzing the data, results show that engineering students mainly described themselves as agreeable (i.e. helpful, trusting, considerate), conscientious (i.e. thorough, reliable, follows through with plans), open to experience (i.e. curious, inventive, deep thinker). We also found that female engineering students showed a significant difference in extraversion factors between the freshman and senior classes, and senior females show the greatest personality and authenticity variation between environments. Further exploring engineering identity, personality, and authenticity will develop a better understanding of engineering students of how they perceive themselves in and out of engineering contexts.

Engineering Identity Development: A Review of the Higher Education Literature

“…In particular, few studies addressed the relationships between agency, motivation, and engagement and engineering identity development or disciplinary differences that might create unique identity development experiences for students (e.g., Groen, Simmons, & McNair, 2016;Matusovich, Streveler, & Miller, 2010). The majority of the reviewed studies represented cross-sectional or single-institution scholarship rather than longitudinal or multi-institution scholarship (Prybutok, Patrick, Borrego, Seepersad, & Kirisits, 2016;Matusovich, Streveler, & Miller, 2010;Stoup & Pierrakos, 2016).…”

Developing and Validating an Individual Sustainability Instrument with Engineering Students to Motivate Intentional Change

“…Iterative application and revision of the survey through three sub-studies (described in subsequent sections) led to a version of the instrument and assignments that confront students with opportunities for self-development and intentional change towards a more sustainable self and engineering professionalism. Currently in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, researchers and practitioners are interested in students' development into technically and socially competent professionals, with recognition that students often experience dissonance between personal and professional values [21][22][23]. Thus, we are making a connection between students' self and professional development to stimulate positive, intentional behavior change.…”

Transforming Engineering Education Is Possible! A Descriptive Case Study of Reimagining Engineering Education and Delivering a Wake Forest Engineering Student Experience Promoting Inclusion, Agency, Holistic Learning, and Success

“…(a) Engineering student motivation using theories like expectancy value theory, achievement goal orientation, self-determination theory (France et al, 2010;Pierrakos 2016;Pierrakos 2017;Williamson et al, 2016;McGrath et al, 2013;Panizo et al, 2015) (b) Engineering student identity development (Pierrakos et al, 2009;Curtis et al, 2017a;Curtis et al, 2017b;Beam et al, 2009;Stoup and Pierrakos, 2016) (c) Engineering education pedagogy focusing on project and problem based learning, flipped classrooms, service learning projects and community engagement (Pierrakos et a., 2016;Eladaway et al, 2015;Tucker et al, 2014;Pierrakos and Barrella 2014;Nagel et al, 2011;Swan et al, 2011;Pierrakos et al, 2010a;Pierrakos et al, 2010b;Zilberberg et al, 2010;Watson et al, 2010;) (d) Cognition and learning investigating adaptive expertise, cognitive flexibility, complex problem solving (Majdic et al, 2017;Barrella, Watson, and Pierrakos, 2017;Pierrakos, Anderson, and Welch, 2016;Pierrakos and Barrella 2014;Nagel et al 2012;Zilberberg et al, 2010;Trenor and Pierrakos 2008) (e) Assessment of engineering student learning (Pierrakos, Anderson, and Welch, 2016;Pierrakos, Anderson, Barrella, 2016;Pierrakos et al, 2012;Pappas, Pierrakos, and Nagel, 2011;Pierrakos, Borrego, and Lo, 2008a;Pierrakos, Borrego, Lo, 2008b;Pierrakos, Borrego, and Lo, 2007a;Pierrakos, Borrego, and Lo, ...…”