Investigating Motivational and Cognitive Factors which Impact the Success of Engineering Students

Andreas Eichler,Julia Gradwohl

doi:10.1007/s40753-020-00127-4

Andreas Eichler, Julia Gradwohl

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40753-020-00127-4

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Abstract

Engineering students particularly struggle with mathematics in the first year of their university studies. A result of these difficulties are high drop-out rates among the engineering students. There are various measures to support the students in their studies such as preparatory courses or bridging courses. The contribution of this research is to investigate the impact of certain factors on engineering students’ success in their first year of studies in a supportive environment which includes a preparatory course, tutorials, a bridging course and a drop-in centre. First, we ask how the students’ use of support measures impact the students’ success. Second, we clarify which affective, motivational and cognitive factors affect the students’ success in mathematics. Our further aim is to investigate the relationships between the factors that impact students’ success. We consider potential factors during the first year of studies. Our results suggest that particularly students’ mathematical abilities before the first semester and a support in tutorials during the first semester account for students’ success in the final exams in the first year of engineering studies.

Highlights

Mathematics can act as either a “gateway to engineering” or a “gatekeeper, denying entry to otherwise talented would-be engineers” (Winkelman 2009, p. 315)
In accordance with the supply-use model (Fend 2002), we differentiate in the correlation analysis motivational, affective or cognitive dispositions regarding use of support measures
Only a portion of the support measures is used by the students and, could potentially be supportive for engineering students’ success

Summary

Introduction

Mathematics can act as either a “gateway to engineering” or a “gatekeeper, denying entry to otherwise talented would-be engineers” (Winkelman 2009, p. 315). Engineering students seem to perceive mathematics as “an important tool used by competent engineers”, for them, university mathematics often turns out to be a “(usually unwelcome) surprise” Heublein et al (2010) identified excessive demands and lack of motivation as the main reasons for an individual to drop out. As a reason for the lack of motivation, some researchers refer to a gap between abstract university mathematics and mathematics that is needed to practice the profession (Filho et al 2016; Wood et al 2012)

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