Undergraduate students' materials science and engineering self-efficacy: Assessment and implications

Prior work has shown that student achievement and persistence within undergraduate programs can be linked to individual beliefs. The purpose of this study was to create a materials science and engineering self-efficacy scale to predict student achievement in both materials science and engineering courses and within the programs of participating undergraduates. We performed an exploratory factor analysis to determine which items to include in the materials science and engineering self-efficacy scale and then analyzed the predictive validity of the scale for academic achievement. The materials science and engineering self-efficacy items were then embedded in a larger survey that also included demographic items. Participants whose data were used within the exploratory factor analysis (n = 97) and the predictive validity (n = 176) phases of this study were recruited from a southeastern university. Students in an introductory materials science and engineering course showed significant differences in gains in self-efficacy from the beginning to the end of the semester. Although at the beginning of the semester, male students had statistically higher item mean scores for five of the eleven survey criteria, no significant differences between the genders were observed by the end of the semester. Students who failed or withdrew had a significantly lower mean score and item mean differences than did all other students. Regression analysis, however, did not indicate that overall materials science and engineering self-efficacy was a significant predictor of the course grade. This study quantified the change in response rates between data collection via electronic surveys completed outside of the classroom and via paper surveys completed in the classroom.