Mastery, models, messengers, and mixed emotions: Examining the development of engineering self‐efficacy by gender

Abstract

Background Engineering self‐efficacy, or the belief in one's own capabilities to complete engineering tasks, has been shown to predict greater motivation, academic performance, and retention of engineering students. Investigating the types of experiences that influence engineering students' self‐efficacy can reveal ways to support students in their undergraduate engineering programs. Purpose/Hypothesis(es) The purpose of this study was to qualitatively examine how undergraduate engineering students describe the sources of their engineering self‐efficacy and whether patterns in students' responses differed by gender. Design/Method Participants (N = 654) were undergraduate engineering students attending two public, land‐grant universities in the U.S. Open‐ended survey questions were used to identify the events, social experiences, and emotions that students described as relevant to their engineering self‐efficacy. Chi‐square analyses were used to investigate whether response patterns varied by gender. Results Students described enactive performances as their most salient source of self‐efficacy, but interesting insights also emerged about how engineering students draw from social and emotional experiences when developing their self‐efficacy. Women more often referred to social sources of self‐efficacy and reported fewer positive emotions than did men. Conclusion Findings suggest ways that educators can provide more targeted opportunities for students to develop their self‐efficacy in engineering.

Aging engineers’ occupational self-efficacy—a mixed methods study

“…The data material in this study was inductively analyzed, and therefore, the categories that emerged cannot be referred to the separate sources enhancing self-efficacy for engineers ( Sheu et al, 2018 ; Chen et al, 2023 ). The four sources, that is, mastery experiences, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion, and dealing with emotional and physical reactions ( Bandura, 1997 ; Bandura, 2004 ; Bandura, 2012 ), are however, found in the category contents.…”

“…One concept that seems to be essential for adaption to changes ( Turgut and Neuhaus, 2020 ), and important in working life ( Bakker and Demerouti, 2017 ) is occupational self-efficacy. Nevertheless, occupational self-efficacy is less studied among engineers ( Chen et al, 2023 ) and aging workers ( Paggi and Jopp, 2015 ; Chiesa et al, 2016 ). Exploring what influence aging engineers’ occupational self-efficacy can reveal ways to support them for longer working life.…”

“…Few studies were found regarding occupational self-efficacy among engineers, and aging engineers, in particular. A recent study highlighted that research regarding self-efficacy of engineers is often conducted in the context of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and that such research often generalizes the subjects of one STEM discipline to those of others ( Chen et al, 2023 ). A meta-analysis evaluated the effect of the sources of self-efficacy (mastery experiences, vicarious learning, verbal persuasion, and affective states) on outcome expectations in STEM disciplines.…”

“…The findings showed strongest effect for the three first-mentioned sources ( Sheu et al, 2018 ). In a study that qualitatively investigated the sources of undergraduate engineering students’ self-efficacy to complete engineering tasks, the most relevant sources were mastery experiences through academic performance and emotional experiences, as well as vicarious experiences through social interactions and encouragement from instructors and engineers ( Chen et al, 2023 ). Chen et al (2023) highlighted the scarce of studies regarding engineers’ experiences of what creates their work-related self-efficacy.…”

“…In a study that qualitatively investigated the sources of undergraduate engineering students’ self-efficacy to complete engineering tasks, the most relevant sources were mastery experiences through academic performance and emotional experiences, as well as vicarious experiences through social interactions and encouragement from instructors and engineers ( Chen et al, 2023 ). Chen et al (2023) highlighted the scarce of studies regarding engineers’ experiences of what creates their work-related self-efficacy. Panatik et al (2011) found that general self-efficacy decreased the negative effects of job demands on psychological strain among technical workers, 22–55 years of age.…”