CAREER: Student Motivation and Learning in Engineering

Clemson University, Clemson SC

Investigators

Abstract

The objective of this engineering education research CAREER award is to understand how various aspects of motivation affect the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills for engineering students. These skills are commonly understood as important in preparing students for the ever-changing global challenges engineers must face. In order for students to effectively apply their intellectual resources in their educational experiences, they must be motivated to do so. Educators must understand affective factors in students' development, in particular those that contribute to motivation (e.g. expectations, values, goals, and attitudes) as well as their cognition and academic performance. Past research has addressed the affective and cognitive domains independently, but there has been little focusing on how affective factors that feed motivation are related to both the cognition and learning experiences of engineering students. Understanding these relationships will address the greatest challenges facing engineering educators: increasing interest in engineering, creating a more diverse engineering workforce, and preparing students for a future of rapid technological change and globalization. Specific research goals are to 1) identify and understand factors that contribute to engineering students' motivation to learn and succeed, and compare these against different student types (by demographics, choice of major, etc.), 2) correlate students' prior knowledge and motivation with the development of their problem-solving and critical thinking skills, and track changes in these correlations over time, and 3) develop an amalgamated motivation theory for undergraduate engineering students grounded in the data. A robust instrument to assess engineering students' motivation throughout the undergraduate experience will be developed to translate research to practice. The education component of the project will focus on training engineering graduate students and educators in underlying theory and use of the instrument.