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Perceived causes of success and failure: Are women's attributions related to persistence in engineering majors?
Author(s) -
Nauta Margaret M.,
Epperson Douglas L.,
Waggoner Kathleen M.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of research in science teaching
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.067
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1098-2736
pISSN - 0022-4308
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-2736(199908)36:6<663::aid-tea5>3.0.co;2-f
Subject(s) - persistence (discontinuity) , attribution , style (visual arts) , psychology , science and engineering , engineering education , academic achievement , cognitive style , social psychology , mathematics education , engineering , engineering ethics , cognition , engineering management , neuroscience , history , geotechnical engineering , archaeology
This study explored the influence of attributional style on women's persistence in engineering majors, after controlling for academic ability. Female students ( N = 255) previously or currently enrolled in the engineering college of a large midwestern university completed measures assessing their (a) attributions for science, mathematics, and engineering academic events; and (b) thoughts of changing career goals. Results revealed that, after controlling for academic ability, two attributional style dimensions were related to persistence in engineering majors. Among persisters in engineering, those attributional style dimensions were also related to thoughts of changing career goals. Implications for research are discussed, and recommendations for educators and advisors are presented. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 36: 663–676, 1999