Self-Efficacy, Motivation, and Locus of Control Among Male and Female Construction Management Students

Abstract

Increasing female participation in construction education programs, and ultimately the construction industry, necessitates an understanding of gender-based differences among construction management students. The psychological constructs of self-efficacy, locus of control, and motivation have been shown to influence human behavior and performance in occupational and educational settings. These constructs were adapted to the domain of construction education in a survey instrument that was administered to 178 construction management students at two universities. The mean levels of construction training self-efficacy was significantly lower (p = 0.033) for females than males. Females also reported a more internal locus of control and lower level of motivation towards construction education than male students; however, the differences were not statistically significant (α = 0.05). Results suggest that female students were less confident in their abilities regarding construction education and were more likely to express an internal locus of control. A low levels of selfefficacy has been linked in previous research to poor performance and low retention among female students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs. Results underscore the need for strategies that boost construction education-specific self-efficacy among female construction management students. Interventions for increasing self-efficacy as well as study limitation and opportunities for further research are discussed.