2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Work-in-Progress: An Application of Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) to AE/C Education

Presented at Architectural Engineering Division (ARCHE) Technical Session 2

This work-in-progress (WIP) introduces Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) as a framework for examining undergraduate students’ interest and major choice goals in an Architectural Engineering and Construction (AE/C) program. Retention and sustained interest in engineering programs remain ongoing challenges, as many students enter these programs with uncertainty about their academic and career decisions or experience declining interest after initial exposure. Understanding how personal, environmental, and behavioral factors relate to students’ interest development and academic goals in AE/C is therefore critical for informing interventions aimed at building competency level interest. According to SCCT, students’ interests in a field are shaped by their self-efficacy beliefs, defined as confidence in their ability to succeed, and by their outcome expectations, defined as beliefs about the anticipated benefits of pursuing a particular career path. These interests subsequently influence students’ major choice goals. SCCT further recognizes that self-efficacy and outcome expectations are influenced by contextual supports and barriers, as well as by students’ demographic characteristics, backgrounds, prior discipline-related experiences, and initial levels of interest and understanding of AE/C subdisciplines. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which first-year AE/C students’ data fit the SCCT model. This WIP focuses on study design, including SCCT-based measurement scales, their theoretical alignment, and psychometric properties of the scales. Preliminary results draw on data from first-year students enrolled in introductory AE/C courses at a large R1 Midwestern university, R2 Southeast HBCU, and an R1 Southeast institution. Findings are intended to inform future modeling and ultimately understanding of the impact of targeted interventions in AE/C pathways.

Authors

Prof. Euclides Maluf http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-1655-8784 University of Nebraska - Lincoln [biography]

Euclides Maluf is a Ph.D. student in Engineering Education Research at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and a Graduate Research Assistant. His research focuses on how course experiences and assessment practices shape engineering students’ learning, motivation, emotions, self-efficacy, and persistence. Trained in mixed methods research, he works with statistics, psychometric analysis, statistical modeling, and structural equation modeling (SEM) to improve learning experiences and promote equity in engineering education. With a background in Industrial Engineering, Education, and Business Administration, Euclides has over 10 years of experience teaching and training professionals in technical and higher education. He currently contributes to the VADERs Project, using educational data and advanced analytics to support virtual and augmented reality learning experiences in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction education.
Prof. Heidi A. Diefes-Dux http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3635-1825 University of Nebraska - Lincoln [biography]

Heidi A. Diefes-Dux is a Professor in Biological Systems Engineering at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln (UNL). She received her B.S. and M.S. in Food Science from Cornell University and her Ph.D. in Food Process Engineering from the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Purdue University. She was an inaugural faculty member of the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. Her current role in the College of Engineering at UNL is to lead the disciplinary-based education research initiative, growing the research enterprise and the engineering education research graduate program. Her research focuses on the development, implementation, and assessment of modeling and design activities with authentic engineering contexts; the design and implementation of learning objective-based grading for transparent and fair assessment; and the integration of reflection to develop self-directed learners.
Ece Erdogmus http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6447-1157 Clemson University [biography]

Ece Erdogmus, PhD, PE is the Founding Dean of the College of Architecture, Art, and Construction at Clemson University since August 2024. Prior to this, she was the Chair of the School of Building Construction at Georgia Institute of Technology (2021-2024). Before joining Georgia Tech, she was a Professor and Associate Director at the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). She has PhD and MS degrees in Architectural Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University and a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the Middle East Technical University in Turkey. She is a licensed civil/structural engineer in the state of Virginia.
Erdogmus’ wide range of research activities cover masonry design and construction; assessment and rehabilitation of historical masonry using nondestructive testing and numerical modeling; and use of Augmented/Virtual Reality in architectural engineering and construction education. She has authored over 100 peer-reviewed technical articles and led numerous projects funded by NSF, NCMA Foundation, Nebraska DOT, and National Center for Preservation Technology.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 21, 2026, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 24, 2026

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