Background Factors Affecting Success an Investigation of Aerospace Engineering Students

Pre-collegiate engineering experiences are offered by many institutions and allow students to learn about engineering before committing to a college major. Program administrators often report that these pre-collegiate engineering experiences increase students’ motivation to pursue engineering degrees. While we know that these programs can encourage students to initially enroll in engineering, the lasting impact of these programs on engineering students is less clear. This investigation seeks to identify the factors that contribute to student success in engineering and inform future programs and curricula. A survey was developed and administered to aerospace engineering students to analyze the students’ self-reported background factors, engineering identity, and engineering self-efficacy. Student record information such as GPA, retention information, demographics, SAT/ACT scores, and initial major of study was acquired and analyzed with the self-reported data to determine significant measures of success. The results of this investigation can inform the design and implementation of pre-college engineering programs