An examination of students´ motivation in engineering service courses

To increase the number of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduates, educators need to identify ways to increase student persistence from entry until graduation. The objectives of this study are to determine (1) if motivation affects learning outcomes in engineering service courses and (2) whether students´ level of motivation tracks with specific engineering disciplines. Students enrolled in a sophomore-level engineering service course were surveyed to examine their motivation in engineering service courses and to assess the relationship between their motivation and their achievement and desire to persist in the engineering discipline. The survey measures for self-efficacy, task value, and achievement goals in engineering were created and evaluated during an initial pilot study. Initial results showed internal consistency among the items in each measure.