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The Importance of Belonging and Self-Efficacy in Engineering Identity
Retention of students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines is a significant concern in higher education. Identity has been identified as an important correlate of academic success that may be important in a robust model of STEM retention. The engineering identity of “early career” university engineering students and its relation to GPA, self-efficacy, and a sense of belonging was examined. Self-efficacy and belonging were demonstrated to be domain dependent. A sense of belonging was much more strongly related to identity than either GPA or self-efficacy. A strong sense of belonging, specifically in the domain of the department of their major, was critical to a strong engineering identity.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1561517
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10058182
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- AERA open
- ISSN:
- 2332-8584
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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