How Interests, self-efficacy, and self-regulation impacted six undergraduate pre-engineering students’ persistence

ABSTRACT

Researchers examined six undergraduate pre-engineering majors’ self-regulatory behaviours, ability to self-regulate, self-efficacy beliefs, and intentions to persist using a qualitative methodology. The data collection procedure relied heavily on interviews focusing on participants’ engineering interests, beliefs in their abilities to successfully complete an engineering degree, beliefs in their ability to self-regulate, sources of self-efficacy, and self-regulatory behaviour. Through transcription analysis, coding, and cross-coding processes, our findings indicate that the triadic and cyclical nature self-regulation was fundamental to pre-engineering majors’ persistence. Students’ prior mastery experiences, beliefs in their ability to self-regulate, vicarious experiences, and verbal persuasions contributed to students’ self-efficacy beliefs and engineering interests. Time management, prioritising, help-seeking behaviour, knowing professors’ expectations, and critical self-evaluation were essential behaviours for pre-engineering students’ persistence.

KEYWORDS:

• Self-efficacy
• self-regulation
• qualitative methodology

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Dr. James P. Concannon is an Associate Professor and the Education Department Chair at Westminster College. His research interests include students' science misconceptions, engineering education, STEM education, scientific inquiry, scientific literacy, and the history of science education. Next year, Dr. Concannon will be at William Woods University serving as an Associate Professor of STEM Education.

Dr. Susan B. Serota is a Professor of Education and Director of Online Teaching at Westminster College. Dr. Serota's research expertise includes qualitative methodologies and pre-teacher socialization. Dr. Serota teaches child and adolescent growth and development, diversity in education, and middle school methods and organization.

Ms. Megan R. Fitzpatrick is a middle school science teacher in a St. Louis, Missouri suburb. Ms. Fitzpatrick earned her undergraduate degree in middle school education from Westminster College and will soon begin her graduate program in Education Administration.

Dr. Patrick L. Brown is the STEM and CTE Coordinator at Fort Zumwalt school district, located in St. Charles, Missouri. Dr. Brown is a former middle and high school science teacher and currently develops programmes to prepare students to be college- and career-ready.