View in EDS HTML Full Text PDF Full Text

Analysis of Social Media Forums to Elicit Narratives of Graduate Engineering Student Attrition

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Analysis of Social Media Forums to Elicit Narratives of Graduate Engineering Student Attrition
Language: English
Authors: Berdanier, Catherine G. P., Whitehair, Carey, Kirn, Adam, Satterfield, Derrick
Source: Journal of Engineering Education. Jan 2020 109(1):125-147.
Availability: Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148. Tel: 800-835-6770; Tel: 781-388-8598; Fax: 781-388-8232; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 23
Publication Date: 2020
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Social Media, Discussion Groups, Engineering Education, Graduate Students, Student Attrition, Student Motivation, Faculty Advisers, Student Costs, Student Attitudes, Goal Orientation, Social Networks, Quality of Life, Data Analysis
DOI: 10.1002/jee.20299
ISSN: 1069-4730
Abstract: Background: Graduate engineering student attrition is prevalent, but most literature that studies graduate attrition is accomplished in disciplines outside of STEM or engineering, yielding an incomplete understanding of either attrition or persistence. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this article is to investigate the relationships between motivators of attrition for engineering graduate students. Design/Method: Data were collected using an online Web-scraping "bot" that mines data from the online forum Reddit. The anonymous textual forum threads collected were qualitatively analyzed through open-coding methods. Results: The emergent themes reveal the interconnectedness between the roles of the advisor, student perception of cost, their support network, goals, their perceptions of how others perceive them, and quality of life and work. Our model is flexible in that it illuminates underlying combinations of factors that can influence student attrition. Conclusion: This study provides a framework by which various stakeholders can approach the support and education of graduate students, including mentoring students both toward or away from graduate school per the student's goals.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2020
Accession Number: EJ1253418
Database: ERIC
Full text is not displayed to guests.
Description
Abstract:Background: Graduate engineering student attrition is prevalent, but most literature that studies graduate attrition is accomplished in disciplines outside of STEM or engineering, yielding an incomplete understanding of either attrition or persistence. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this article is to investigate the relationships between motivators of attrition for engineering graduate students. Design/Method: Data were collected using an online Web-scraping "bot" that mines data from the online forum Reddit. The anonymous textual forum threads collected were qualitatively analyzed through open-coding methods. Results: The emergent themes reveal the interconnectedness between the roles of the advisor, student perception of cost, their support network, goals, their perceptions of how others perceive them, and quality of life and work. Our model is flexible in that it illuminates underlying combinations of factors that can influence student attrition. Conclusion: This study provides a framework by which various stakeholders can approach the support and education of graduate students, including mentoring students both toward or away from graduate school per the student's goals.
ISSN:1069-4730
DOI:10.1002/jee.20299