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

本研究旨在探讨社会认知职业理论（SCCT）提出的社会认知、文化、人格和情境因素对工科学生和工人满意度、敬业度和持久性的纵向影响。长期以来，白人女性和拉丁裔/非裔在工程专业和工作中的代表性不足，为研究导致她们学业和职业满意度、参与度和持久性的心理因素提供了依据。使用来自九所工程学院的工程专业学生样本的数据，pi建议检验SCCT模型将解释工程相关满意度，参与度和持久性的显着差异的假设。对这些因素的结构方程模型研究将辅以对个人和体制因素的定性研究。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早期职业阶段对工程的满意度、参与度和持久性方面的效用进行了潜在的结论性检验；2)了解随着时间的推移，社会认知、环境和文化因素对工程管道中白人女性和拉丁裔/o的满意度、敬业度和保留率的影响；3)推进理论解释工程满意度，参与和坚持拉丁裔/o和白人女性在工程；4)了解白人女性和拉丁裔/非拉丁裔工程师坚持和不坚持决策的影响因素；5)制定可靠有效的措施来评估工程和工程具体学习经验中的负面结果预期。这项工作的结果将为定制干预措施的发展提供信息，以增强相关的系统支持，并支持社会认知，这些认知是每个群体参与、坚持和工程满意度的最强预测因素。研究结果还可以为学生在教育培训的战略要点上提供支持，当他们可能面临更高的辍学风险时。

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.