A qualitative inquiry into first year engineering student success

Abstract

Student success, drop out and progress are hot issues in most schools of engineering. The problem of high drop out has been looked at many times, with researchers using similar dependent variables like progress, grade point average or persistence. In this study we explore whether students perceive success in terms that are similar to how it is commonly operationalized. We also explored to what facets of student life students attribute their success or lack thereof. We interviewed groups of engineering students multiple times during their first year in university. Major findings include that students define success in a less stringent way than researchers do and students attribute their success largely to commitment to continue to spend time, to their motivation and their focus on goals that help the students focus their attention.