Navigating the Path to Persistence and Belonging: The Role of Multifaceted Support in the First Two Years of Undergraduate Engineering Education

The Engaged Engineering Program (EEP) project at ABC University is a five-year Track 2 NSF S-STEM that responds to challenges in recruiting and retaining academically talented, low-socioeconomic status students from diverse backgrounds into undergraduate engineering programs. The EEP project has successfully recruited four cohorts of Scholars and supported them via a series of targeted activities, including a summer bridge program, seminar-style introductory courses, mentoring, and dedicated advising, all concentrated within the first two years of an undergraduate engineering degree. As part of the project, a research study has been conducted guided by the following questions: 1) How and to what extent do the targeted activities support the retention of Scholars through their second year of engineering (persistence), 2) How and to what extent do the targeted activities impact Scholars' self-efficacy, identity, and belonging in engineering (belonging)? The research study draws on social cognitive career theory and research related to identity and sense of belonging in engineering and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) more generally. We have previously shared findings from our research study in several venues, describing qualitative evidence of how EEP-related experiences have impacted Scholars' affect, including supporting their developing identities and sense of belonging related to engineering. Now that the final cohort of Scholars is finishing their second and last year in the program, we have conducted additional analyses to assess EEP's impacts on multiple student development and success dimensions. Analyses of institutional data suggest that, compared to non-EEP students, Scholars have largely been successfully retained into their second year and progressed toward acceptance into their major. Analyses of qualitative focus group data from the most recent year make connections between program elements and important socio-emotional outcomes. Implications are discussed for other programs seeking to support engineering undergraduates' retention and success in the first two years of study.