Predicting intent to persist from career values andalignment for women and underrepresented minority students

Researchers theorize that commitment to a college major is supported when there is alignment between career values andperceptions of a career field’s value affordances. Research shows substantial gender differences in occupational values andinterests, where women are more likely to prefer communal occupations, which may cause misalignment when engineeringis seen as only affording the pursuit of status values. The goal of this study was to explore the relationship between first-yearengineering students’ career values, their perceptions of engineering as a career field that meets different career values, andhowthis relationshipaffectsmajorcommitment.Usinga pre/post-surveydesign, weexplored whetherengineeringstudents(N = 996) varied in their perception of engineering as a communal vs. status profession, comparing male/female andunderrepresented/other racial groups. We also explored how perceptions and career values predicted commitment to theirengineering major. We found variability in perceptions of the affordances of engineering but no group differences, whichsuggests this is an individual difference that may influence perceptions of career fit. Predictions of major commitmentrevealed complex relationships between affordance beliefs, career values, and commitment to staying in an engineeringmajor.