Social Cognitive Factors That Contribute to Student Retention in a High School Engineering Pathway: A Longitudinal Study
Abstract
This action research study investigated the cognitive factors that impacted students’ choice to continue within a high school engineering pathway, and the effect of multiple engineering courses on students’ engineering self-efficacy. Participants (N = 87) were students who completed three quantitative surveys throughout the engineering course(s) in which they were enrolled. Using the theoretical framework of Social Cognitive Career Theory, each survey measured student engineering self-efficacy, coping self-efficacy, outcome expectations, interests, persistence goals, external supports, and external barriers. Near the end of the course, students completed a qualitative, open-response questionnaire where they indicated their decision to continue in the engineering pathway and their written reasoning for their decision. Analysis of the quantitative data indicated that three components, engineering self-efficacy with coping self-efficacy, interests, and outcome expectations had the greatest impact in determining if a student continued in the engineering pathway. Student self-efficacy was shown to increase with more experience in the engineering pathway. Additional analysis also indicated that the factors that influenced student interest fluctuated throughout the course and that students may have finalized their decision to stay within the engineering pathway by the midpoint of the course. Future research using a similar testing protocol may be beneficial in informing teacher practice within career and technical education, by better tailoring education practice and methods to support student retention.