Factors that predict students\u27 educational experience at a Midwestern research university: A comparative study of STEM and non-STEM majors

摘要

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) is an annual, nationwide survey used to assess the level of engagement of four-year college and university students. Only randomly sampled freshman and seniors participate in the self-reporting of their college experience. Annually, the survey results are organized into five benchmarks or clusters of survey questions as a common language/framework for institutions to compare themselves to similar institutions. However, the NSSE benchmarks do not account individual institutional characteristics. Therefore, the purpose of this quantitative study was to use secondary NSSE data from 2005-2008 to examine the relationship between a students\u27 declared major and their educational experience satisfaction at Iowa State University (ISU). In addition, a comparative study between STEM and non-STEM majors employed a different perspective on the influence of engagement by examining the influence of academic major on educational experience satisfaction. The findings of this study will inform research, policy, and practice.