TY - GEN
T1 - Engineering Disciplinary Interests by Gender and Parental Level of Education
AU - Verdin, DIna
AU - Godwin, Allison
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 IEEE.
PY - 2019/10
Y1 - 2019/10
N2 - This research category work-in-progress paper uses cross-sectional data, collected in the fall of 2017, to understand first-generation and continuing-generation college students' intended choice of an engineering major. Data for this analysis came from a large-scale survey of 3,711 first-year engineering students from 32 U.S. institutions of which 790 students identified as first-generation college students and 2,072 identified as having one or more parent(s) with a bachelor's degree or higher (continuing-generation college students). A Welch's t-test was used to examine the differences in engineering major selection between and within groups. Results from the within-group comparison show that men and women, who are first-generation college students, have similar disciplinary interest as reported in the ASEE Engineering by the Numbers. Most notably women first-generation college students were more likely to choose biomedical, chemical engineering, and other STEM-related degree compared to men first-generation college students. When analyzing the data by gender and examining college generation group differences, we found that women first-generation college students were more likely to choose, civil, computer, construction management, electrical engineering, computer science and, information technology compared to women in the other group. While men first-generation college students were more likely to choose construction management, electrical engineering compared to men in the other group. Enrollment trends of first-generation college students in engineering are difficult to determine, this study provides a first step towards understanding the fields that attract these students.
AB - This research category work-in-progress paper uses cross-sectional data, collected in the fall of 2017, to understand first-generation and continuing-generation college students' intended choice of an engineering major. Data for this analysis came from a large-scale survey of 3,711 first-year engineering students from 32 U.S. institutions of which 790 students identified as first-generation college students and 2,072 identified as having one or more parent(s) with a bachelor's degree or higher (continuing-generation college students). A Welch's t-test was used to examine the differences in engineering major selection between and within groups. Results from the within-group comparison show that men and women, who are first-generation college students, have similar disciplinary interest as reported in the ASEE Engineering by the Numbers. Most notably women first-generation college students were more likely to choose biomedical, chemical engineering, and other STEM-related degree compared to men first-generation college students. When analyzing the data by gender and examining college generation group differences, we found that women first-generation college students were more likely to choose, civil, computer, construction management, electrical engineering, computer science and, information technology compared to women in the other group. While men first-generation college students were more likely to choose construction management, electrical engineering compared to men in the other group. Enrollment trends of first-generation college students in engineering are difficult to determine, this study provides a first step towards understanding the fields that attract these students.
KW - engineering major
KW - first-generation college students
KW - gender differences
KW - interest
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85082445677&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1109/FIE43999.2019.9028611
DO - 10.1109/FIE43999.2019.9028611
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85082445677
T3 - Proceedings - Frontiers in Education Conference, FIE
BT - 2019 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, FIE 2019
PB - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
T2 - 49th IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, FIE 2019
Y2 - 16 October 2019 through 19 October 2019
ER -