Should I stay or should I go? Engineering students' persistence is based on little experience or data

Abstract

This research contributes to the body of literature relating to how environmental effects of classroom instruction, departmental culture, and institutional structure influence students' decisions to major in engineering. Engineering students at two different higher education institutions were interviewed (n=33) and surveyed (n=76) during their freshman and sophomore years. Interview questions and survey items probed students' exposure to engineering prior to college and the strength of their intentions to major in engineering. Findings reveal that most students have very limited exposure to and knowledge of engineering before they begin college. In addition (and possibly as a result), students' intentions to major in engineering waiver, even while they actively complete engineering requirements. Nearly all students in our sample were entrepreneurial in seeking experiences within and outside of engineering to help them decide on their major. Implications of this research are that 1) attrition rates from engineering may be inflated, and 2) classroom, departmental, and institutional adjustments could increase retention of students in engineering. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2007.