Relationships Among Students' Engineering Course-Related Motivational Beliefs, Engineering Identification, and Engineering Major and Career Intentions

• In Event: 26.041 - Exploring Emotional and Motivational Factors for Education in the Professions

Abstract

Based on recent empirical studies involving domain identification theory and the MUSIC Model of Academic Motivation, we hypothesized that engineering students' motivational beliefs about their engineering courses would be statistically related to their engineering identification (i.e., the extent to which students identify with or value engineering), which in turn, would predict their engineering major and career intentions. We analyzed questionnaire data from 184 undergraduate engineering students using measurement and structural models. The fit indices suggested that the data supported the measurement model and the causality hypothesized in the structural model. The five course-related motivational beliefs were moderately related to engineering identification; however, only the perceived usefulness of engineering courses was statistically related to engineering identification in the full model.

Authors

• Brett D. Jones, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

• Chosang Tendhar, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University

• Edward Lee Rakes, Virginia Military Institute