Reasons and root causes: Conventional characterizations of doctoral engineering attrition obscure underlying structural issues

IF 3.9 2区 工程技术 Q1 EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH Journal of Engineering Education Pub Date : 2024-10-04 DOI:10.1002/jee.20619
Gabriella M. Sallai, Catherine G. P. Berdanier
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Although most engineering graduate students are funded and usually complete their degrees faster than other disciplines, attrition remains a problem in engineering. Existing research has explored the psychological and sociological factors contributing to attrition but not the structural factors impacting attrition.

Purpose/Hypothesis

Using systems theory, this study seeks to understand nuance in how underlying structural causes affect engineering graduate students' attrition experiences in ways that may differ from their official reasons for departure.

Design/Methods

Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with seven departing or already departed engineering doctoral students from R1 graduate programs across the United States. Using thematic analysis, root cause analyses were conducted to understand participants' attrition experiences to explore how structures influence causes of departure.

Results

The ways participants discuss root causes of their departure indicate differences in formal reasons for departure and underlying causes of departure. We highlight the role of informal and formal policy as root causes of a different attrition rationale often passed off as interpersonal issues. When interpreted as evidence of structural issues, the causes of departure show ways in which action–inaction, policy–“null” policy serve as structural features governing student attrition decision processes. We also highlight a form of benign neglect toward struggling graduate students.

Conclusion

This study reveals important nuances underlying face-value reasons of attrition indicating foundational structural issues contributing to engineering graduate student attrition. Coaching faculty in team management and encouraging close revision of departmental policies could help mitigate students' negative graduate experiences and decrease unnecessary attrition.

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原因和根源:对工程学博士流失的传统描述掩盖了潜在的结构性问题
背景 尽管大多数工科研究生都得到了资助,而且通常比其他学科的学生更快地完成学业, 但工科研究生的流失仍然是一个问题。现有研究探讨了导致自然减员的心理和社会学因素,但没有探讨影响自然减员的结构性因素。 目的/假设 本研究运用系统理论,试图了解潜在的结构性原因对工科研究生自然减员经历的细微 影响,这些影响可能不同于他们正式离职的原因。 设计/方法 通过对来自美国 R1 个研究生项目的七名即将或已经离校的工科博士生进行半结构化访谈收集数据。通过主题分析、根本原因分析来了解参与者的流失经历,从而探索结构如何影响离职原因。 结果 参与者讨论离职根本原因的方式表明,正式离职原因和潜在离职原因存在差异。我们强调了非正式和正式政策的作用,它们是造成不同自然减员理由的根本原因,而这些理由往往被认为是人际关系问题。当被解释为结构性问题的证据时,离校原因显示了行动--行动、政策--"无效 "政策作为支配学生流失决策过程的结构性特征的方式。我们还强调了一种对陷入困境的研究生的善意忽视。 结论 本研究揭示了导致研究生流失的表面原因背后的重要细微差别,指出了导致工科研究生流失的根本性结构问题。对教师进行团队管理方面的指导,并鼓励他们对系里的政策进行仔细修订,可以帮助减轻学生的负面研究生经历,减少不必要的流失。
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来源期刊
Journal of Engineering Education
Journal of Engineering Education 工程技术-工程:综合
CiteScore
12.20
自引率
11.80%
发文量
47
审稿时长
>12 weeks
期刊介绍: The Journal of Engineering Education (JEE) serves to cultivate, disseminate, and archive scholarly research in engineering education.
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