Research Initiation: Improving Engineering-Related Social Cognitions through Teaching Practices

University Of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia MO

Investigators

Abstract

Success in engineering requires not only technical knowledge and skills but also belief in the ability to succeed in the challenges one may face in engineering studies and engineering careers. Furthermore, these beliefs have been found to be important factors in the success of women and underrepresented racial/ethnic groups in engineering. Colleges and universities can help address this need by creating engineering programs enhance these beliefs through modified teaching practices. This not only improves the engineering education of all students but also would address a national need for greater representation in engineering. In this project, researchers will work with engineering faculty to develop instructional activities that target these beliefs and attributes, and then measure how these teaching practices are related to changes in two specific types of beliefs: self-efficacy and outcomes expectations. The ultimate benefit of the project would be to find a link between certain teaching practices and improved beliefs about one's self. Such a finding would lead to improved yet easily integrated teaching practices that may have a real impact on engineering education as well as the retention and success of underrepresented groups in engineering. This project will give evidential support on the relationship between social cognitive based teaching practices and improvement in self-efficacy (the belief in one's abilities to successfully accomplish tasks in a given domain) and outcome expectations (the beliefs about the consequences of performing particular behaviors) by examining the impact of these practices on the social cognitions among students in classes targeted for these practices as compared to a control group. Furthermore, we will investigate the differential impact of teaching practices based on gender and assess if the improvements persist in later semesters. In addition, we test a model that examines the associations of engineering-related self-efficacy, positive outcome expectations, and negative outcome expectations on students' intentions to persist in engineering. Social Cognitive Career Theory recognized for its potential in expanding the involvement of underrepresented groups in STEM careers, serves as the theoretical framework for the proposed study. The research seeks to provide data to answer the following questions: Can engineering-related social cognitions among engineering students be improved through teaching practices? Does Social Cognitive Career Theory explain the relations among self-efficacy, positive outcome expectations, negative outcome expectations, and persistence intentions? An engineering faculty learning community will be established where 6 faculty members will learn about social cognitions and implement and document social cognitive-based teaching instructional strategies in their courses to improve the social cognitions of their engineering students. The impact of the teaching practices will be documented through student surveys before, during, and after the subject courses are taken, as well as outcomes compared to control group students taught by the same faculty. The data from this project will serve as preliminary data to analyze and develop social cognitive based teaching practices that will aid in the retention and success of engineers from underrepresented groups. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.