Learning Professional Confidence: Linking Teaching Practices, Students' Self-Perceptions, and Gender

For too long, college and university faculty have focused their instructional efforts on their own teaching performance. As a result, faculty have paid insufficient attention to ways they might successfully encourage students' motivation and self-confidence (Barr & Tagg, 1995). Because the undergraduate attrition rates in science and engineering are high for both women and men (National Science Foundation, 1996), there is particular concern that teaching methods still prevalent in these fields may alienate students (Adelman, 1998).

Undergraduate student attrition rates remain high from science and engineering programs even as demand for degreed workers in these fields outstrips supply in the United States and around the world (National Science and Technology Council, 2000). Historically, white males have comprised the majority of the engineering and science workers, but this group is declining as a proportion of the total U.S. workforce. In the last quarter century, increasing participation of women and minorities has helped prevent a severe shortage of science and engineering workers; but if current rates of gender and ethnic participation in these bachelor degree programs do not change, the number of qualified workers will soon be inadequate to meet the science, technology, and engineering needs of our society. A recent report from the National Science and Technology Council (2000) asserts that enlarging the science, technology, and engineering talent pool depends on "encouraging greater participation of all ethnic and gender groups" (p. 4).

Efforts to recruit a more diverse student body will not solve the workforce gap if retention rates in science and engineering degree programs remain low. Students' classroom experiences are critical to their persistence. Prior research shows that female students perceive science and engineering instruction as too competitive and that both male and female students regard science and engineering faculty as unresponsive and unmotivating (Strenta et al., 1994; see also Sax, this issue, for a study of gender differences in graduate science programs). More than one-third of the students who leave science and engineering cite poor teaching as their primary reason for changing majors (Seymour & Hewitt, 1997).

It is not surprising that poor teaching negatively affects students' persistence in engineering and science. But what encourages students to stay? This study investigated how classroom practices contribute to female and male undergraduates' positive perceptions of themselves as students and as future professionals. Improved understanding of the link between teaching practices and students' self-perceptions may guide efforts to increase learning and persistence.

Self-efficacy is the expectation that one can accomplish specific behaviors necessary to produce a desired outcome (Bandura, 1986). Most research on college students' self-efficacy and other self-perceptions has focused on the extent to which self-perceptions affect educational outcomes (Pajares, 1996). For example, college students' self-perceptions influence their cognitive engagement (Pajares & Miller, 1994), their academic performance, choices of majors and careers (Drew, 1996; Hackett & Betz, 1992; Sax, 1994a), and their intent to persist in science and engineering (Seymour & Hewitt, 1997). A meta-analysis of 39 studies found that self-efficacy beliefs account for about 14 percent of the variance in students' academic performance and 12 percent of the variance in their academic persistence (Multon, Brown, & Lent, 1991).

Student self-perceptions are better predictors of academic performance than objective measures of ability (Hackett et al., 1992; Pajares & Miller, 1994). Gender apparently is related to the accuracy of self-perceptions (Bandura, 1986; Pajares 1996). Even when college women have higher SAT scores or grades than men, they are more likely than college men to underestimate their objectively measured math abilities (Drew, 1996; Felder et al., 1995). This underestimation has a negative effect on women's performance and persistence (Meece & Courtney, 1992; Pajares & Miller, 1994).

Although we know that self-perceptions are related to student performance and persistence, relatively little research has been conducted about the sources...