Success factors for minorities in engineering: Analysis of focus group mini-surveys

Abstract

Focus group conversations were previously reported for minority students from eleven engineering schools.1 This study describes the analysis of a mini-survey administered during the focus group sessions in order to augment group discussions which can be dominated by strong personalities thereby skewing the results. One hundred and forty-four students, comprised of 51.4% African American, 36.8% Hispanic, and 11.8% of Other ethnicities, completed three open-ended questions on: how they became interested in engineering; what it takes to be successful in the engineering program; and their advice to incoming minority students. A fourth question asked for their assessment of the effectiveness of seven academic support program components. Major student responses were coded for thematic content or tabulated and then entered into regression equations against four measures of achievement, including students' GPA, longevity in the program, average SAT/ACT scores of minority students in the school of matriculation, and their school's effectiveness in graduating minority students as assessed by 6-year graduation rates. Responses positively associated with achievement indices were then factor analyzed to isolate common clusters associated with success in engineering. While the most frequent student responses to the four questions were skill in math, dedication, focus, and study groups respectively, the five emerging factors associated with greater student success were: (1) Participation in effective program components that provide practical engineering experience - Project or problem-based courses, research experience, and industry internships; (2) A burning desire to become an engineer and reap its economic benefits; (3) Taking advantage of all resources provided; (4) Combining motivation and dedication with effective time management; and (5) Involvement in MEP programs. The results are noteworthy in suggesting that the first and foremost success factor for minorities in engineering is exposure to engineering itself.