Mathematics Identity and Student Persistence in Engineering

• Autores: Jennifer D. Cribbs, Cheryl Cass, Zahra Hazari, Philip M. Sadler, Gerhard Sonnert
• Localización: The International journal of engineering education, ISSN-e 0949-149X, Vol. 32, no. 1 (Parte A), 2016, págs. 163-171
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Previous research suggests strong connections between students’ mathematics background and their persistence inengineering career aspirations. This study expands on that research by examining how mathematics identity impacts thechoice of engineering careers for male and female students. Data used in this study were drawn from the FactorsInfluencing College Success in Mathematics project, a nationally-representative survey garnering responses from 10,437college calculus students. Results from an exploratory factor analysis validated the mathematics identity frameworkproposed. Additionally, results from a logistic regression indicate that mathematics interest and recognition inmathematics significantly predict the choice of an engineering career, even after controlling for SAT/ACT mathematicsscores and demographic background, such as parental education. Moreover, the interaction between recognition inmathematics and gender is also significant and indicates that being recognized in mathematics has a stronger positiveimpact on the choice of an engineering career for females than for males.