2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Predictors of Success and Retention: The Influence of Belonging and Self-Efficacy on First-Year Engineering Students

This complete research paper examines the direct and indirect effects of self-efficacy and sense of belonging on first-year engineering students’ academic performance (GPA) and their retention at the end of the first year. Using path analysis, we explore how these factors influence students' persistence in their study programs and the mediating role of GPA in this relationship. Strong belief in one's abilities (self-efficacy) and feeling part of the academic community (sense of belonging) are crucial for students pursuing STEM careers. These factors influence persistence, motivation, and identity development, particularly in engineering students, helping them overcome academic challenges and lack of technical experience. High self-efficacy fosters resilience, goal setting, and better academic outcomes, while low levels can lead to demotivation, feelings of inadequacy, and increased dropout risk, especially during the first year. Analyzing students’ GPA is vital for understanding first-year retention, as it serves as an early indicator of academic performance and identifies students at risk. However, GPA alone is insufficient to capture the complexity behind academic success. Complementing GPA with measures of belonging and self-efficacy provides a deeper understanding and informs more effective support strategies. High self-efficacy and belonging are associated with better GPA outcomes, while low levels correlate with academic struggles and attrition. This study employs a quantitative approach using path analysis to evaluate the relationships between sense of belonging, self-efficacy, GPA, and retention at the end of the first year. The sample consists of 311 first-year engineering students from a prominent university in Chile. We collect data from a validated survey that measures sense of belonging and self-efficacy, and we obtain GPA from academic records. Retention at the end of the first year is assessed as a dichotomous variable (retained vs. not retained). Additionally, gender is included as a control variable to analyze its effect on sense of belonging, self-efficacy, and GPA. Results show that self-efficacy positively influences GPA both directly and indirectly through sense of belonging. While a general sense of belonging supports GPA, certain interaction-based dynamics negatively impact academic outcomes. The model explains 39% of the variance in GPA, emphasizing the importance of balancing individual and social factors. By identifying the role that sense of belonging and self-efficacy play in first-year students' academic performance and persistence, this research can help universities by aiding retention by developing targeted interventions that foster a more inclusive and supportive academic environment. Such interventions could significantly reduce dropout rates, enhance student engagement, and ultimately contribute to cultivating a more resilient and skilled engineering workforce, essential for meeting the demands of the rapidly evolving technological landscape.

Authors

Dr. Monica Quezada-Espinoza http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0383-0179 Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile [biography]

Monica Quezada-Espinoza is a professor and researcher at the School of Engineering at Universidad Andrés Bello in Santiago, Chile, where she collaborates with the Educational and Academic Innovation Unit (UNIDA) as an instructor in active learning methodologies and mentors engineering faculty in educational research. She is the Secretary of the Women in Engineering Division (WIED) of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and an associate researcher in the STEM Latin America Network, specifically in the STEM + Gender group. Her research interests are diverse and focus on university education in STEM fields, faculty and professional development, research-based methodologies, and the use of evaluation tools and technology for education. She is also passionate about investigating conceptual learning in abstract physics topics, developing strategies to improve the retention of first-year engineering students, and enhancing skills and competencies in higher education. Additionally, Monica is dedicated to exploring gender issues in STEM education, with a particular emphasis on studying and proposing improvements for the inclusion of women in highly male-dominated fields. For more information on her work, visit her ORCID profile.
Prof. Maria Elena Truyol http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1153-4967 Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile [biography]

María Elena Truyol, Ph.D., is full professor and researcher of the Universidad Andrés Bello (UNAB). She graduated as a physics teacher (for middle and high school), physics (M.Sc.), and a Ph.D. in Physics at Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina. In 2013, she obtained a three-year postdoctoral position at the Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil. She focuses on educational research, physics education, problem solving, instructional material design, teacher training, and gender studies. She teaches undergraduate courses in environmental management, energy, and the fundamentals of industrial processes at the School of Engineering, UNAB. She currently coordinates the Educational and Academic Innovation Unit at the School of Engineering (UNAB). She is engaged in continuing teacher training in active learning methodologies at the three campuses of the School of Engineering (Concepción, Viña del Mar, and Santiago, Chile). She authored several manuscripts in the science education area, joined several research projects, participated in international conferences with oral presentations and keynote lectures, and served as a referee for journals, funding institutions, and associations.
Prof. Camila Zapata-Casabon Universidad Andres Bello [biography]

Master in Marketing and Market Research from the University of Barcelona, Spain. Industrial Civil Engineer from the Universidad del Bío-Bío. She has three diplomas in the areas of coaching, digital marketing and equality and empowerment of women. Her professional experience is linked to higher education as a project engineer and university management in the public and private area. Teacher at different universities in matters of entrepreneurship, business plans and marketing. She currently works as a teacher and academic secretary at the Faculty of Engineering of the Andrés Bello University. The areas of research interest are the impact, relationship and integration of the gender perspective within communications and marketing in the various areas of development, digital marketing and content marketing.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025