A mixed methods investigation of first- and second-year engineering
students’ engineering efficacy beliefs was undertaken. Surveys were
administered to first-year students (n=1280) enrolled in Engineering Problem-
Solving and Computer Tools and second-year students (n=99) enrolled in
Chemical Engineering Calculations at Purdue University. The survey
instruments included quantitative measures of students’ confidence in current
and future engineering success. Subsets of each cohort (12 first-year and 9
second-year students) were then interviewed during one-on-one discussions
based on a semi-structured protocol designed to elicit in-depth student
accounts of the experiences and cognitive processing involved in the formation
of their engineering efficacy beliefs. Quantitative results suggest men to be
more confident than women in engineering course success and second-year
students to be more efficacious in the engineering environment than first-year
students. Qualitative results demonstrate first-year students’ tendency to base
their efficacy on social comparisons. Second-year students rely more on
mastery experiences. Based on these and other identified trends, suggestions
are made for the design of engineering learning environments that can best
promote student efficacy and success.