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ERIC Number: EJ1311564
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Oct
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1069-4730
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Adapting the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale to Assess Engineering Identity Formation
Li, Nan; Fan, Weihua; Wiesner, Margit; Arbona, Consuelo; Hein, Sascha
Journal of Engineering Education, v110 n4 p885-901 Oct 2021
Background: Engineering identity is associated with students' academic success and retention in engineering programs. However, there is a lack of psychometrically evaluated measures for assessing engineering identity formation. Purpose: This cross-sectional study aimed to adapt the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS) to assess engineering identity formation and evaluate its factor structure, reliability, and associations with demographic characteristics of engineering students. Design/Method: Survey data were collected from 237 engineering students. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to examine the factor structure of the U-MICS. Multiple indicators multiple causes (MIMIC) analysis was performed to investigate how demographic characteristics of engineering students related to the latent variables underlying the U-MICS. Results: CFA supported the hypothesized three-dimensional model of identity formation (i.e., commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment) after excluding one item originally designed for assessing in-depth exploration. Good internal consistencies were found for each subscale (Cronbach's [alpha] = 0.72-0.88). MIMIC analysis showed mean differences in the commitment factor and the in-depth exploration factor by undergraduate classification and mean differences in the reconsideration of commitment factor by race/ethnicity, but no differences in the three latent factors by gender and transfer status. Conclusions: The U-MICS may be a viable measure to assess engineering identity formation. This measure can help researchers gauge how engineering students develop, validate, and revise their commitment to pursue an engineering degree.
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www-wiley-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-us
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
Author Affiliations: N/A