Factors Predicting Students' Persistence and Academic Success in an Aerospace Engineering Program

摘要

The purpose of this study is to improve the persistence and academic outcomes of undergraduate students majoring in aerospace engineering (AE) by studying their pre-university academic abilities, demographic characteristics, and early experiences at a university. To explore significant factors that predict students' persistence and academic success, data were collected from first-year AE students from 2011 to 2016 at a large Midwestern university in the United States. Two data sets were analyzed: data from a Registrar's Office on students' demographic characteristics and data from an online survey, derived from Tinto's model of institutional departure, completed by students within 4 to 6 weeks of joining the university. Logistics regression analyses were run to highlight the factors that affected students' persistence and academic success in AE. High school preparation was positively related to predicting academic success and persistence for AE students. Coping with academic work, satisfaction with academic life, and being a part of a learning community were also important factors for AE students' academic success and persistence. Social experiences at the university did not impact students' persistence and students' academic outcomes. Early personalized interventions may help students persist in the AE program.