Exploring Relationships Between Persons of Influence, Self-Efficacy, and Motivation Among Male and Female Construction Management Students

摘要

Researchers posit that persistence and achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs are related to students' self-efficacy beliefs. Vicarious experiences and verbal persuasions are often reported as sources of self-efficacy for women in non-traditional fields, and previous studies have observed a positive relationship between the influence of others and academic motivation. The existence of a role model or mentor has been shown to influence students' self-efficacy and motivation. These constructs were adapted to the construction education domain in a survey instrument that was administered to 587 students enrolled in construction management courses at three universities. Mentors and role models were defined in this study as "persons of influence" on a respondent's academic decisions; mentors give advice and support, whereas role models provide inspiration. Results indicate that having a person of influence was significantly and positively correlated with students' construction education self-efficacy and motivation (r_s = 0.19,p <0.001 and r_s= 0.26,p < 0.001, respectively). When data were stratified by gender, the correlation between having a person of influence and motivation toward construction education was significant and positive for female (r = 0.31, p < 0.05) and male students (r_s = 0.25,p < 0.001). However, while having a person of influence was significantly and positively correlated with construction education self-efficacy for males (r_s = 0.20, p < 0.001), the correlation was positive but not significant at the 0.05 level for females (r = 0.18, p = 0.175). Perceived self-efficacy, motivation, and the presence of mentors and role models have value as predictors of career choice and student success. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge by increasing the understanding of the influence of others on students' academic performance within the construction education domain. Conclusions and opportunities for continued research are presented.