Comparing The Relative Contribution Of Individual And Environmental Factors To The Intent To Remain In An Engineering Major, By Gender

A series of hierarchical linear regressions were run to determine the differences by gender among undergraduates (N=1629) in the relative contribution of individual and environmental factors to predicting interest in remaining in an engineering major. Individual and environmental factors played a significant role for both men and women in predicting the dependent variable, but individual variables, particularly motivation, explained more of the variance. Elements of the collegiate experience had a stronger impact on women’s than men’s intentions, with perceptions of care/respect having the strongest positive effects and competition, grades, and time required for coursework the most negative effects.