GSE/RES: Understanding Gender Differences in Turnover and Retention in Engineering Careers

智力优势：威斯康星大学密尔沃基分校提出了两项研究，以检查在工程职业的磨损和持久性。 研究1扩展了福阿德和辛格以前的工作，从30所大学的女性工程校友，男性工程校友从同一所大学，使用基于网络的调查，允许男性和女性工程师之间的减员决定进行比较具有相同的教育准备。调查将采用经修改的社会认知职业理论（SCCT）模型，评估自我效能的三个领域，结果期望，兴趣，工作场所的支持和障碍，工作态度（满意度和承诺），认知和心理退缩，以及离开职业或专业的意图。研究2将只关注那些目前在工程领域工作的男性和女性工程师，以确定影响他们留在工程领域的决定的因素，以及男性和女性在职业生涯中的差异。工作嵌入理论将被纳入修正的SCCT模型中，作为离职意愿的调节变量。研究2还将使用基于网络的调查与专业工程学会的成员，以检查自我效能，工作场所的支持和障碍，工作态度（满意度和承诺），工作嵌入性，工作投入，认知和心理退缩，以及离开职业或专业的意图。更广泛的影响：研究结果将为男性和女性工程师的独特和具体需求提供重要的新见解，这些需求可以帮助组织设计有效的职业发展和其他工作生活计划，以帮助他们留住人才。将制定具体的建议，这将有助于工程师感觉到更多的连接到他们的职业作为工程师和他们的组织，从而帮助他们留在职业。此外，这些干预措施可以提高多种类型的效能，工作和职业满意度，并尽量减少退出认知，从而可能改变离开选择的轨迹。调查结果也可用于确定战略决策点和职业阶段，在这些阶段需要量身定制干预措施，并专门针对增加工程职业的保留。研究结果还将对教育机构提供实用指导，帮助他们更好地为学生的工程职业做好准备。

Intellectual Merit: The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee proposes two studies to examine attrition and persistence in engineering careers. Study 1 extends Fouad and Singh's previous work on women engineering alumnae from 30 universities to male engineering alumni from the same universities, using a web-based survey, allowing comparison of attrition decisions between male and female engineers with the same educational preparation. The survey will use a modified Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) model to assess three domains of self-efficacy, three domains of outcome expectations, interests, workplace supports and barriers, job attitudes (satisfaction and commitment), cognitive and psychological withdrawal, and intentions of leaving the career or profession. Study 2 will focus on only those men and women engineers who are currently working in engineering to identify factors that influence their decisions to stay in engineering, and differences in how men and women become embedded in their careers. Job Embeddedness (JE) theory will be incorporated into the modified SCCT model as a moderator of intentions to leave. Study 2 will also use a web-based survey with members of professional engineering societies to examine self efficacy, workplace supports and barriers, job attitudes (satisfaction and commitment), job embeddedness, work engagement, cognitive and psychological withdrawal, and intentions of leaving the career or profession. Broader Impacts: The results will offer important new insights into the distinctive and specific needs of both men and women engineers that can help organizations in designing effective career development and other work-life programs that will aid their retention efforts. Specific recommendations will be developed that will help engineers feel more connected to their profession as engineers and to their organization, thereby aiding their retention in the profession. In addition, such interventions could enhance multiple types of efficacy, job and career satisfaction, and minimize withdrawal cognitions, thereby potentially altering the trajectory of departure choices. The findings may also be used to identify strategic decision points and career stages at which interventions need to be tailored and specifically targeted to increase retention in engineering careers. The findings will also have practical guidance to educational institutions to help them better prepare students for engineering careers.