Course Perceptions Predict Effort and Achievement in an Engineering Course: Comparing Genders, Ethnicities, and Majors

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Ten
  In Roundtable Session: Gender and Other Factors Impacting Student Interest and Achievement in Computing and Engineering Education (Table 6)

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to determine (a) how students’ motivation-related perceptions and achievement varied by gender, race/ethnicity, and academic major, and (b) the extent to which the relationships between students’ motivation-related perceptions and achievement varied by gender, race/ethnicity, and major. Students (n = 981) completed a survey in their introductory engineering course at a large public university in the southeastern U.S. Path analyses and one-way MANOVAs and ANOVAs were conducted to examine differences between groups. Students’ perceptions of empowerment, usefulness, interest, and caring were similar across genders and races/ethnicities; however, women and Asian students reported lower success expectancies. Across gender, race/ethnicity, and major, students’ motivation-related perceptions were positively related to effort, which was positively related to achievement.

Authors

• Brett D. Jones, Virginia Tech
  Presenting Author

• Margaret Ellis, Virginia Tech
  Non-Presenting Author

• Fei Gu, Chulalongkorn University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Hande Fenerci, Virginia Tech
  Presenting Author