Engineering role identity fosters grit differently for women first- and continuing-generation college students

• Autores: Dina Verdín, Allison Godwin, Adam Kirn, Lisa Benson, Geoff Potvin
• Localización: The International journal of engineering education, ISSN-e 0949-149X, Vol. 35, no. 4, 2019, págs. 1037-1051
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This study examined two distinct groups of women in engineering (i.e., first-generation and continuing-generation college students)to understand how the engineering role identity constructs of interest, recognition, and performance/competence fostered grit–perseverance of effort and grit–consistency of interest. A survey was administered to first-year engineering students at fourinstitutions across the United States. The sample of women wasn= 675, from whichn= 144 were identified as first-generationcollege students andn= 531 were identified as continuing-generation college students. Using existing instruments, two structuralequation models were created to test the relationships between engineering role identity constructs and grit. The model of first-generation college students had high interest in engineering, which, in turn, was predictive of their grit–consistency of interest, whiletheir beliefs about performing well and understanding engineering content was predictive of their grit–perseverance of effort. In themodel of continuing-generation college students, being recognized as someone that can do engineering was predictive of grit–perseverance of effort while seeing oneself as an engineer was predictive of their grit–consistency of interest. The results of thiswork highlight different aspects of identity that may foster grit for women in engineering depending upon their parents’ level ofeducation.