ERIC Number: EJ1076310
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Aug
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1521-0251
EISSN: N/A
Outreach and Identity Development: New Perspectives on College Student Persistence
Bergerson, Amy Aldous; Hotchkins, Bryan K.; Furse, Cynthia
Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, v16 n2 p165-185 Aug 2014
College student persistence continues to pose challenges for higher education institutions, despite over 40 years of research. Although persistence is studied from many different angles, the majority of studies examining the causes of and cures for students' departure from college reflect the importance of engagement in the higher education environment. An innovative type of engagement is involving college students in high school outreach. This article reports on a study involving 19 college students who participated in a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded project intended to increase the enrollment and persistence of engineering students, specifically examining how engaging in outreach activities developed participants' views of themselves as engineers. We found that outreach activities incorporated several types of engagement and that participants engaged in outreach began to develop a professional engineering identity, both of which are linked to college student persistence. The study's implications for research and practice are discussed.
Descriptors: Outreach Programs, College Students, Academic Persistence, Student Participation, Engineering Education, Science Interests, Career Exploration, Professional Identity, Professional Development, Qualitative Research, Interviews, Observation, Student Records, Teacher Student Relationship, Peer Relationship, Problem Based Learning, Student Motivation, Enrollment Influences
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A