Engineering Students' Agency Beliefs and Career Goals to Engage in Sustainable Development: Differences between First-Year Students and Seniors

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Autor/inn/en	France, Jared; Milovanovic, Julie; Shealy, Tripp; Godwin, Allison
Titel	Engineering Students' Agency Beliefs and Career Goals to Engage in Sustainable Development: Differences between First-Year Students and Seniors
Quelle	In: International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 23 (2022) 7, S.1580-1603 (24 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1467-6370
DOI	10.1108/IJSHE-04-2021-0161
Schlagwörter	College Freshmen; College Seniors; Age Differences; Engineering Education; Student Attitudes; Occupational Aspiration; Sustainable Development; Personal Autonomy; Quality of Life; Conservation (Environment) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Studienanfänger; College; Colleges; Senior; Hochschule; Fachhochschule; Age; Difference; Age difference; Altersunterschied; Ingenieurausbildung; Schülerverhalten; Berufsneigung; Berufsziel; Nachhaltige Entwicklung; Individuelle Autonomie; Lebensqualität; Conservation; Environment; Konservierung; Bewahung; Umwelt
Abstract	Purpose: This paper aims to explore the differences in first-year and senior engineering students' engineering agency beliefs and career goals related to sustainable development. The authors also sought to understand how topics related to sustainable development in engineering courses affect senior engineering students' goals to address these issues in their careers. This work provides evidence of how students' agency beliefs may be shaped by higher education, which is essential to workforce development. Design/methodology/approach: Findings stem from two national surveys of engineering first-year (Sustainability and Gender in Engineering, n = 7,709) and senior students (Student Survey about Career Goals, College Experiences, n = 4,605). The authors compared both groups using pairwise testing by class standing. Findings: The results indicate that undergraduate studies tend to reinforce students' engineering agency beliefs to improve their quality of life and preserve the environment. Significantly more senior students selected career goals to address environmental issues compared to first-year students. In general, students undervalue their roles as engineers in addressing issues related to social inequities. Those topics are rarely addressed in engineering courses. Findings from this work suggest discussing sustainability in courses positively impact setting career goals to address such challenges. Research limitations/implications: The study compares results from two distinct surveys, conveyed at different periods. Nonetheless, the sample size and national spread of respondents across US colleges and universities are robust to offer relevant insights on sustainable development in engineering education. Practical implications: Adapting engineering curriculum by ensuring that engineering students are prepared to confront global problems related to sustainable development in their careers will have a positive societal impact. Social implications: This study highlights shortcomings of engineering education in promoting social and economic sustainability as related to the engineering field. Educational programs would benefit from emphasizing the interconnectedness of environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainable development. This approach could increase diversity in engineering education and the industry, and by ripple effect, benefit the communities and local governance. Originality/value: This work is a first step toward understanding how undergraduate experiences impact students' engineering agency beliefs and career goals related to sustainability. It explores potential factors that could increase students' engineering agency and goals to make a change through engineering. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01