This work in progress paper describes the development of an instrument to assess graduate student motivation towards doctoral degree completion. Doctoral attrition rates in the United States have been estimated to be around 40% over a 10 year completion period [8]. King [8] also found that less than 20% of students complete their doctoral programs in the expected timeframe of between 3 and 4 years. These results indicate the need to better understand factors that affect graduate students' experience during their doctoral program, particularly their choice to persist, so we can ensure equal opportunities for Ph.D completion. Spaulding and Rockinson-Szapkiw [12] talk about personal factors that contribute to doctoral students’ persistence. These factors include motivation, strategies for writing the dissertation, time management, and attributes such as credibility, commitment, and increased monetary compensation. As part of this research study, we have selected to focus upon student motivation as motivation theories have been found to provide explanations for factors that influence individuals choices and actions [3]. Specifically, we have selected the Expectancy-Value Theory (EVT) of motivation because it considers social, cultural, and psychological factors [1], making it beneficial for elements that could be relevant in a graduate studies program.
This work seeks to create a motivational instrument specific to an engineering graduate studies program setting. Our instrument development process began with the Engineering Motivation Survey, developed by Brown & Matusovich [2]. This survey instrument was designed to measure motivation of undergraduate engineering students towards engineering education and career choices. Ultimately, the purpose was to measure motivational factors that contribute toward choices to pursue and complete engineering degrees. The 35 likert scale questions were rephrased to focus on a graduate student setting. After the rephrasing, the draft survey was used in a Think-aloud protocol with six engineering graduate students to determine what changes may be needed to better support its new area of implementation. Upon finalization of the graduate student engineering motivation survey we will apply it to measure civil and environmental engineering graduate students’ motivation towards their doctoral degree completion as part of their participation in a Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) program.
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Black Men in Engineering Graduate Programs: A Theoretical Model of the Motivation to Persist
Background
A growing body of research highlights the experiences of Black men students who successfully navigate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educational pathways. Many Black men graduate students in engineering describe moments when their advisors, peers, and, at times, community members make them feel different because of their race and gender. Needed is a better understanding of what motivates Black men to persist in graduate school despite such challenges.
Purpose
This study advances a new theoretical model, “Black Men's Graduate Engineering Motivation” (BMGEM), to describe the overlaying factors and sources of motivation—and their interrelations—that influence Black men in engineering graduate programs to persist.
Research Design
To explore the motivational factors that influence Black men in graduate engineering programs at predominantly White institutions (PWIs) to persist, this study of 42 students used an eight-item demographic form, one-on-one semi-structured interviews, and follow-up focus groups. Data analysis was conducted using adapted grounded theory techniques. After the completion of data collection and multiple iterations of analyses (both inductive and deductive), existing conceptualizations of motivation were used to help make sense of data. The connection to existing literature, code development, their placement into categories, and placing categories into themes led to the creation of a substantive, practice-informing theory: Black Men's Graduate Engineering Motivation.
Findings
Data analysis resulted in the theory of Black Men's Graduate Engineering Motivation (BMGEM). The BMGEM explains the overlaying factors that influence individuals’ experiences and motivations to persist (i.e., sociocultural factors, personal factors, social identities, pre-graduate school experiences), and external and internal motivational sources that also influence students’ motivations to persist (i.e., desire to earn a graduate degree, desire to become an engineer, challenges during graduate school, peers, family members, [under]representation, self-coaching practices, career and professional goals).
Conclusions and Recommendations
The findings from this study inform future research, and practice-based strategies around broadening participation, that aid in Black men's progress through science and engineering pathways. With this new information, we charge engineering colleges to make true commitments to broadening participation, which means centering students—in this case, Black men—as contributors to STEM. In doing so, engineering colleges need to commit to helping Black men succeed. Assisting in their motivation to persist is a key to meeting this charge.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2016440
- PAR ID:
- 10546362
- Publisher / Repository:
- Sage Journals
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education
- Volume:
- 122
- Issue:
- 11
- ISSN:
- 0161-4681
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1 to 58
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Abstract Background In addition to the benefits of a diverse faculty, many institutions are under pressure from students and administrators to increase the number of faculty from historically excluded backgrounds. Despite increases in the numbers of engineering PhD earners from these groups, the percentages of Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino tenure‐track faculty have not increased, and the percentage of women remains low.
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Method We conducted 20 semi‐structured interviews with engineering PhD students and recent graduates, with half of participants interested and half disinterested in pursuing an academic career after graduation.
Results Three key factors emerged as strongly influential on participants' desire to pursue an academic career: their relationship with their advisor, their perception of their advisor's work–life balance, and their perception of the culture of academia. Participants extrapolated their experiences in graduate school to their imagined lives as faculty. The results illuminate the reasons why engineering PhD earners from historically underrepresented groups remain in or leave the academic career pathway after graduate school.
Conclusions The findings of this study have important implications for how graduate students' and postdoc's relationships with their advisors as well as perceptions of their advisors' work–life balances and the culture of academia affect future faculty. We make recommendations on what students, faculty, and administrators can do to create a more inclusive environment to encourage students from historically excluded groups to consider academic careers.
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1177/016146812012201109
