2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

A National Evaluation of Non-Cognitive Outcomes and STEM Persistence Among Underrepresented Engineering Students (Research)

Presented at Minorities in Engineering Division(MIND) Technical Session 4

This paper examines how non-cognitive factors shape engineering students’ STEM identity and career decidedness within a large, nationwide experiential learning program focused on aeronautics and space priorities related research and design experiences. Drawing on social-cognitive and identity-based frameworks, the paper investigates relationships among academic self-efficacy, STEM practices self-efficacy, sense of belonging, professional identity, community of practice, and program satisfaction, with particular attention to racially/ethnically underrepresented engineering students. Using matched pre–post survey data from 685 engineering students (including 162 underrepresented students) across 222 institutions, the study employs validated multi-item scales and multiple regression models to estimate predictors of post-program STEM identity and career decidedness. Results indicate that, for the full engineering sample, professional identity is the strongest predictor of both STEM identity and career decidedness, with additional contributions from academic self-efficacy, STEM practices self-efficacy, belonging, community of practice, autonomy, and program satisfaction. For underrepresented engineering students, program satisfaction, followed by academic self-efficacy, professional identity, and STEM practices self-efficacy emerged as especially salient, while content gains showed a suppression effect in the STEM identity model, suggesting that learning outcomes are most impactful when embedded in affirming, high-quality experiences. These findings highlight that non-cognitive factors are not merely ancillary outcomes but central mechanisms through which experiential engineering programs and experiences influence engineering students’ STEM trajectory, and they underscore the need for intentionally designed programs that attend not only to skill development but also to the overall experience of underrepresented students.

Authors

Dr. Delia Allen Goldstream Group [biography]

Dr. Delia Allen is the Research Director at the Goldstream Group, where she oversees and conducts monitoring and evaluation of educational, behavioral health, and social service programs. She brings diverse experiences and knowledge from corporate project management, program monitoring and evaluation, STEM, and educational settings. Earlier in her career, she has been a visiting professor at Clemson University, a senior project engineer in the aerospace industry, and a public high school mathematics teacher. Dr. Allen received her Ph.D. in Educational Administration and Policy from the University of Georgia, along with a Certificate in Education Law and Policy. She earned a M.S. from Northwestern University in Biomedical Engineering, a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Clemson University, and a M.A.T in Secondary Mathematics from Converse College.
Ms. Angela Larson MA http://orcid.org/0009-0005-3705-9123 Goldstream Group [biography]

Angela Larson, MA, is President and Principal Consultant at Goldstream Group, Inc., where she has led evaluation and program planning focused on STEM education across K–12 and postsecondary settings for more than 20 years. Her work in this area centers on understanding how STEM programs influence student learning, persistence, and career pathways, with expertise in outcomes-based, mixed-methods evaluation and stakeholder-informed design. Larson has led large-scale evaluations including the National Space Grant Program Evaluation, which examined how Space Grant activities contribute to developing a diverse NASA-relevant STEM workforce, as well as more than 25 NASA and NSF-funded initiatives that connect classroom learning, citizen science, and climate change education for teachers, K–12 students, and university learners. Earlier in her career, she supported K–12 STEM and enrichment programming for the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District. Larson received her M.A. in Political Science from the University of Montana and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Minnesota.
Dr. Denise Thorsen http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5358-9846 University of Alaska Fairbanks [biography]

Denise Thorsen received her B.S. (1985), M.S. (1991) and Ph.D. (1996) degrees in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is currently a Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University
Kayla Lail Goldstream Group [biography]

Kayla Lail is an evaluation consultant for Goldstream Group, Inc. She has extensive experience in quantitative analysis and data management and has worked on a variety of program evaluations for nonprofit organizations, school districts, and local governments. Passionate about supporting community-based organizations, Kayla specializes in translating complex data into actionable insights and advocates for making evaluations accessible, engaging, and impactful.

Kayla completed her Master’s in Social Work at the University of Houston, where she also received her B.B.A. in Finance.

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