- Engineering self-efficacy did not figure strongly in the students’ choices of pursuing an engineering major and career.
- Interest in STEM was one of the most powerful influences for all groups of students. Also, influence from social supports was high for all groups as well.
- Self-efficacy is the the lowest influence on choosing Engineering.
- Outcome expectations, as related to employment prospects, were also highly influential for Asian American students, though only moderated influential for the other three groups of students.
- Asian Americans were also strongly influenced by interest in STEM.
- The category “influence from others” was the most cited influence for Hispanic Americans. While it was a high influence for every ethnic group, it was exceptionally noticeable for this group of students. Most of this influence came from family and teachers.
- Another interesting trend among Hispanic Americans was a lack of motivation from social recognition and financial goals. While social recognition and financial goals were large motivators for some other groups, Hispanic Americans were influenced very little by these factors. This indicates that Hispanic Americans are relatively less influenced by outcome expectations compared to the other groups.
- Native Americans followed the general trends of the other groups with relatively high influence from interest and social supports, and moderate influence from outcome expectations and self-efficacy.
- African Americans were most influenced by the category of “interests” when compared to any other group of students. However, this is most likely explained by the fact that many of the African American students in their sample went to STEM focused high schools and were recruited specifically from them. Their data reflect this potential explanation, as African Americans were relatively more influenced by recruitment and financial availability (scholarships) compared to their peers.