ERIC Number: EJ1255071
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Jul
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1069-4730
EISSN: N/A
Differences in Classroom Engagement of Asian American Engineering Students
Ing, Marsha; Victorino, Christine
Journal of Engineering Education, v105 n3 p431-451 Jul 2016
Background: Asian American experiences have been largely ignored in the engineering education research literature. Asian Americans are often considered as a homogenous group, despite including over 40 different ethnic subgroups who speak over 300 languages. The immigrant trajectories, cultural experiences, and college completion rates of Asian Americans also vary. Purpose: This study compares classroom engagement of Asian American subgroups whose members are undergraduate engineering majors, and next examines the relationship between classroom engagement and grade point averages across subgroups. Design/Method: Survey responses from Asian Americans in undergraduate engineering programs at nine campuses in a public research university system were analyzed using quantitative methods to test for measurement invariance in terms of classroom engagement. The classroom engagement was correlated with grade point average, after controlling for prior achievement and student demographics. Results: There was evidence of measurement invariance of classroom engagement across Asian American subgroups. Classroom engagement was higher for the East Indian/Pakistani subgroup than the Chinese, Filipino, and Thai subgroups. There was also evidence that classroom engagement was significantly related to grade point average. However, the low effect sizes suggest that these items may not adequately capture classroom engagement. Conclusions: Disaggregating data by subgroups provides important information regarding student classroom engagement and academic outcomes. Our findings can inform policies and approaches to ensure that all racial/ethnic groups benefit from classroom activities.
Descriptors: Asian Americans, Learner Engagement, Engineering Education, Undergraduate Students, Majors (Students), Correlation, Grade Point Average, State Universities, Comparative Analysis, Error of Measurement, Effect Size, Class Activities
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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