Accounting for Occupational Identity Work in the Attrition of Newcomer Civil Engineers: Theoretical Model

Autor/in	Beddoes, Kacey
Titel	Accounting for Occupational Identity Work in the Attrition of Newcomer Civil Engineers: Theoretical Model
Quelle	In: Journal of Civil Engineering Education, 149 (2023) 3 PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	2643-9107
DOI	10.1061/JCEECD.EIENG-1917
Schlagwörter	Professional Identity; Entry Workers; Civil Disobedience; Engineering; Labor Turnover; Employee Attitudes; Expectation; Job Satisfaction + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ziviler Ungehorsam; Maschinenbau; Arbeitnehmerinteresse; Expectancy; Erwartung; Labor; Labour; Satisfaction; Arbeit; Zufriedenheit
Abstract	Early-career engineers leave the profession at high rates, and much remains unknown about why that is so. Consequently, there have been calls for more research to better understand newcomer engineers' experiences and attrition. The purpose of this article is therefore to examine the experiences of newcomer engineers from different universities and engineering firms around the US. The research questions addressed are as follows: (1) How do newcomer engineers characterize engineering work? and (2) What insights can their characterizations provide about newcomer attrition from engineering careers? A longitudinal study was conducted with recent civil engineering graduates in the US. Three sets of semistructured interviews were conducted in 2019 and 2020. Open coding methods were used to answer the first research question. Based on those emergent findings, the data was then analyzed through the lens of expectancy-value theory to answer the second research question. Misalignments between subjective task values created and/or reinforced in school were a prevalent source of dissatisfaction. There was a need for participants to engage in occupational identity work to reconcile the meanings of engineering and align their identities as engineers with workplace realities. Implications for future research and the engineering education system are discussed. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	American Society of Civil Engineers. 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, VA 20191. Tel: 800-548-2723; e-mail: ascelibrary@ascs.org; Web site: https://ascelibrary.org/journal/jceecd
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01