Open AccessGender and Career Choice Behaviour: Social Cognitive predictors of persistence in Construction Education
Author(s) -
Mariam Akinlolu,
Theo C. Haupt
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
iop conference series. earth and environmental science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1755-1307
pISSN - 1755-1315
DOI - 10.1088/1755-1315/654/1/012002
Subject(s) - persistence (discontinuity) , social cognitive theory , test (biology) , context (archaeology) , psychology , cognition , differential (mechanical device) , social psychology , salient , developmental psychology , political science , geography , engineering , paleontology , geotechnical engineering , archaeology , neuroscience , aerospace engineering , biology , law
This study applied the Social Cognitive Career Theory to determine the factors that influence student’s persistence in construction programs in the South African Context. The study further explores the possible differential validity of SCCT variables for men and women. A survey of 108 conveniently sampled South African undergraduate students, including 48 women and 60 men, enrolled in construction-related programs was conducted. The samples were drawn from student cohorts enrolled in construction management, civil engineering, property development, land surveying, building and quantity surveying. To test for gender differences in the degree of relationship between persistence and the socio-cognitive variables(predictors), the Fisher z test was performed by testing for differences in correlation coefficients between groups. Stronger relationships between persistence and social supports was found for women compared to men. Self-efficacy, outcome expectations, learning experiences and social supports were the most salient predictors for both men and women in construction programs.