Collaborative Research: Broadening Participation in Engineering among Women and Latina/os: A Longitudinal, Multi-Site Study

本项目旨在调查社会认知职业理论(SCCT)假设的社会认知、文化、个性和环境因素对工科学生和员工满意度、敬业度和坚持性的纵向影响。长期以来，白人女性和拉丁裔女性在工程专业和工作中的代表性较低，这为本次调查导致他们对学业和职业满意度、敬业度和坚持性的心理因素提供了理由。利用9所工科院校工科学生的样本数据，PI建议检验SCCT模型将解释与工程相关的满意度、敬业度、坚持性的显著差异的假设。对这些因素的结构方程模型研究将辅之以对个人和制度因素的定性研究。该项目的智力价值包括：1)对SCCT模型在预测白人女性和拉丁裔女性在大学和职业生涯早期对工程的满意度、敬业度和持久性的有效性进行了潜在的决定性检验；2)了解社会认知、环境和文化因素在随着时间的推移对白人女性和拉丁裔女性在工程领域的满意度、敬业度和持久度所起的作用；3)提出理论来解释拉美裔和拉丁裔女性在工程领域的满意度、敬业度和持久性；4)了解影响白人女性和拉丁裔/o工程师持续和非持久性决策的因素；5)制定可靠和有效的措施来评估工程学中的负面结果预期和具体的工程学习经验。这项工作的结果将为定制干预措施的发展提供信息，以加强相关的系统支持，并支持社会认知，这些社会认知是对每一组的工程参与度、坚持性和满意度的最强预测因素。这些发现还可以为学生在教育培训中的战略要点提供支持，当他们可能面临更高的退出工程学的风险时。

The project aims to investigate the longitudinal effects of social cognitive, cultural, personality and contextual factors on engineering students and workers satisfaction, engagement, and persistence as posited by Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT). The longstanding underrepresentation of White women and Latina/os in engineering majors and jobs provides the rationale for this investigation of psychological factors leading to their academic and career satisfaction, engagement, and persistence. Using data from a sample of engineering students at nine engineering colleges, the PIs propose to test the hypothesis that SCCT model will explain significant variance in engineering-related satisfaction, engagement, persistence. A structural equation modeling study of these factors will be complemented with a qualitative study of the individual and institutional factors. Intellectual merits of the project include: 1) A potentially conclusive examination of the utility of the SCCT model in predicting satisfaction, engagement, and persistence in engineering for White women and Latina/os both during college and early career stages; 2) Understanding the role of social cognitive, environmental and cultural factors in the satisfaction, engagement, and retention of White women and Latina/os in the engineering pipeline over time; 3) Advancing theory to explain engineering satisfaction, engagement, and persistence of Latina/os and White women in engineering; 4) Understanding factors influencing the persistence and non-persistence decisions of White women and Latina/o engineers; and 5) Developing reliable and valid measures to assess negative outcome expectations in engineering and engineering specific learning experiences.Results from this work will inform the development of custom interventions to enhance relevant systemic supports and bolster the social cognitions that are the strongest predictors in engagement, persistence, and satisfaction in engineering for each group. The findings can also inform the development of supports at strategic points in students' educational training when they may be at higher risk for dropping out of engineering.