2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This Empirical Research Brief describes a study conducted to examine undergraduate engineering students’ perceptions of what affected their application to a specific engineering major and how these perceptions related to their motivation to persist in engineering. Previous research has examined how students learn about, select, and apply to engineering majors across various universities and disciplines, but not all students get into their first-choice major, disrupting their academic plan. Understanding how this disruption affects student motivation is important in the continued work in attracting a diverse range of students to engineering and creating an inclusive and supportive environment to promote student success, retention, and graduation. An academic plan disruption, such as not being admitted into their major or program of choice, may communicate the wrong message, appearing to push students away from engineering rather than encouraging participation. Examining students’ perceptions of experiencing academic plan disruptions can help the field to design support programs, aid, and guidance for students who may have to adjust their plan to complete an engineering degree.

To examine the impact of academic plan disruptions to students’ motivation, attribution theory was used as a theoretical framework to guide this study. This theory was used to connect what students believe affected not being admitted into their first-choice major and examine how their motivation to persist in engineering was affected. This study collected qualitative data through semi-structured interviews, where the students’ perceptions were examined through causation and thematic coding. Causation coding was used to develop causation maps to trace what students believe affected their major application, and thematic coding used to apply the theoretical framework and examine how their motivation to persist in engineering may have been affected. These themes were examined to help answer the research questions of: What factors do students attribute to not getting into their first-choice major, and how do students describe their next steps and motivation after not getting into their first-choice major?

The results of this study can be used to better understand the experiences students face when they reach a point at which they may need to redesign their pathway to an engineering degree after they experience a disruption in their original academic plan. The focus on this research brief will be on the findings of how students’ experiences and decisions relate to their sensitivity to social rejection. Through understanding these experiences, we can identify how to better prepare students for engineering major applications, support them when they face disruptions to their academic plans, and help them explore and select a path forward past academic challenges toward completing an engineering degree.

Key words: motivation, engineering major application, persistence