Why do students choose to study on engineering foundation year programmes within the UK?

Figures & data

Figure 1. Social cognitive career theory choice model (Adapted from Lent, Brown, and Hackett 1994) showing themes identified from the data.

Table 1. Sample and Population characteristics.

		Population (N = 277)	Sample(N = 82)
Gender	M	83%	82%
	F	17%	18%
Discipline	Aerospace	26%	30%
	Chemical	16%	13%
	Civil	13%	15%
	Electrical and Electronic	10%	9%
	Materials	3%	2%
	Mechanical	22%	15%
	Medical	7%	15%
	Unconfirmed	3%	1%

Table 2. Prior attainment of sample.

Prior Qualifications	Number of Students	Mathematics Grade	Number of Students
A-Levels (of which one was mathematics)	42	B	1
		C	5
		D	28
		E	12
		U	2
A-Levels (of which one was not mathematics)	16
Mixture of A-Levels and BTEC	3
BTEC Engineering	7
BTEC (Non-engineering)	4
Overseas Equivalent Qualification	3
No post age 16 education	1

Table 3. POLAR4 data for sample (based on home postcode).

Quintile	Number of Students
1	8
2	16
3	19
4	16
5	20
Not Available	3

Table 4. Representative excerpts organised by outcome expectancy interpretive theme, alongside the percentage of students for whom this code was identified.

Code	Sub-code	Percentage of students
Attainment value	How things work	35%
‘I used to go and just tinker and dismantle certain things … you know I just wanted to see what makes it work’. ‘I've always been interested in how things worked … what they were designed for … how they were designed like why they're the best for that situation or the job that they've specifically been designed to do’.
Attainment value	Problem solving	24%
‘An engineer's job is to solve a problem using a wide range of possibilities’. ‘Problem solving first attracted me to the engineering world’
Attainment value	Innovation and creation	11%
I ‘strive for any innovation’. engineers ‘never just do what has already been established, they always look forward to their future’. ‘Responsible for crafting this utopia’. ‘At the forefront of making dreams reality’. ‘Part of an innovation or invention which will make the world a better place’.
Attainment value	Variation	28%
‘it’s never going to get boring … it's a constantly changing environment’. Application of ‘degree to many fields … broaden my horizon … and won’t tie me down to one thing’. Not ‘stuck in an office all day and doing monotonous tasks … look forward to doing something new every day’. ‘If I were to not like a part of it … I'll be able to swap’. ‘Intersection point from which a wide range of different disciplines are trying to achieve tangible result’. ‘ … allow me to not necessarily specialize but to learn about and explore other parts of engineering fields and which interact with fields of my other interests’. Engineering could be ‘psychologists analyzing mindset of people, how they work, how they interact with our products and services … we're entrepreneurs we're making it viable in the long run, we're linguists we have to know all the computer codes, computer languages and last not least we're designers we value functionality and the ease of use’. ‘Open a lot of doors’.
Attainment Value	Perseverance	30%
‘Very challenging’. ‘A very hard subject’. ‘No law of physics will prevent us so anyone can become an engineer if they put the heart into it’ ‘Adversities and problems along the way helped (me) develop as a scientist’. The fact that it is ‘not easy to do … makes me work harder’ ‘(I) enjoy working under pressure’. ‘Failures aren't necessarily bad … failures are what builds up success and with failures you get to learn more than you ever thought possible compared to just managing to succeed’. ‘Continuously developing new skills not just academically but in general … (I) never want to really stop learning and engineering is something that will provide quite an opportunity to learn’.
Attainment Value	Teamwork	10%
‘Engineering can be a very social thing if you want it to be’. ‘each other's strengths … supporting each other's weaknesses for the best result’ ‘A great way to meet new people’. ‘Love the idea of many people coming together to achieve one common goal’.
Attainment Value	Work towards sustainability	21%
‘I believe that one day I will be able to contribute to securing and contributing that future for many upcoming generations’. ‘Create a better, more sustainable future for the next generation’. ‘One of the most important roles in combatting issues like climate change’.
Attainment Value	Work towards social justice	16%
‘From a young age I have always known I wanted to go into a job aiming to improve the quality of life for vulnerable people across the globe’.
Attainment Value	Serving society	41%
‘Provide a very important service to us’. ‘A valuable member of your society’. ‘At the front of improving lives’. ‘Laptops, phones and robotics as they are useful and powerful tools which are extremely helpful in today’s modern society and increased quality of life for the whole of humanity’.‘Loved just finding out how different products and advances in technology have allowed people to have better lives overall and how much of a positive impact engineering meets compared to many other fields’. ‘Obviously technology made the world a better place to live’. ‘(If) it wasn't for engineers then humanity wouldn't have progressed as far as it has’.
Attainment Value	Status and Legacy	18%
‘So important … it affects everyone’ ‘Well respected’. ‘Regard (held for) chartered and incorporated engineers’. ‘Legacy and fame for being a great engineer is close to him by the buildings and projects he did’. ‘Engineering surpasses most other careers as generations from now people will still benefit from the work you have done’. ‘Hopefully I can have the building I designed for all to see long after I’m gone … would be a really achievement for me’ ‘Reflect on my life when I grow old and think and be proud of what I accomplished’. ‘Make a name … to be known and remembered by world for some great idea’.‘Have a workshop or firm and be in charge of something because I really enjoy being lead’. ‘Become someone important’. ‘A steppingstone to becoming a CEO’ ‘Impressing people for generations … (don’t) want to live a mediocre life’. ‘Come up with new inventions which are the spark of many generations down the line’.
Utility value	Pay	22%
‘Higher than many other well-respected professions’. ‘Extremely lucrative’ ‘Who doesn’t love money’. ‘Won't have to struggle with money’. ‘A comfortable lifestyle … something I want to be able to do for my children’.
Utility value	Job Stability	30%
‘Endless job opportunities for a new graduate’. ‘There'll be jobs waiting for me’ ‘There's always going to be a need for engineers … it's something that is, you know, it's always required’. Global demand for ‘engineering manpower’. ‘Main reason I chose’ engineering. ‘Stable and reliable career’. ‘Stable platform for many careers … the skills that you acquire through studying and practicing engineering are highly valuable and transferable’.
Utility value	Opportunities to travel	18%
‘All countries require engineers in order for them to develop’. ‘Traveling is a hobby of mine … visiting new places and getting to know new cultures help in building a better character’. ‘Have some fun at the same time as working abroad’. ‘Love to have the opportunity to work overseas and be able to experience those cultures permanently with my family’. ‘Be much easier for me to actually go somewhere … limitless’. ‘Top companies are usually willing to pay for a degree engineer to get them out there to work for them’.
Interest value	Happiness and enjoyment	13%
‘Doing a job that makes you happy in life is essential as you'll be stuck with this job for the rest of your life’. If we ‘truly enjoy the work we do, it drives us to continue this work, if not for the better this of oneself than for the sheer enjoyment of it’. I ‘fully believe that if you do something you enjoy as a job, you'll never have to work a day in your life and I'm also the type of person if I don't enjoy something I won't give it my all because I'll easily lose interest’. ‘One of the things that actually seems fun’. ‘Imagine myself like going to the work every day with a smile on my face’ and would not ‘have to think about a time’. ‘Higher morale, a higher self-worth and a better value of life compared to many others’. ‘They are in a low stress industry with higher rewards good pay and high levels of self-actualisation’. ‘Engineers are satisfied with their performance and their work-life balance’.

Lent, R. W., S. D. Brown, and G. Hackett. 1994. “Toward a Unifying Social Cognitive Theory of Career and Academic Interest, Choice, and Performance.” Journal of Vocational Behavior 45 (1): 79–122.

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