Factors influencing the self-efficacy of Black high school students enrolled in PLTW pre-engineering courses.

摘要

With the increasing demand for trained engineers (especially Black engineers) it is imperative that the US invests more money and resources into programs that provide quality engineering experiences and exposures, this study evaluates the effect of various K-12 outreach initiatives and their ability to inspire students enrolled in Project Lead the Way (PLTW) high school preengineering courses to study engineering. Secondary schools and post-secondary engineering programs will benefit from the data collected by this study. Quantitative data was collected from the 76 students enrolled in PLTW pre-engineering courses at the target high school. The findings indicated, in part, that work in an engineering environment, single-day engineering workshops, and engineering hobbies are some of the most influential experiences and exposures which influence students to study engineering.