Mathematics Identity and Student Persistence in Engineering.

Previous research suggests strong connections between students' mathematics background and their persistence in engineering career aspirations. This study expands on that research by examining how mathematics identity impacts the choice of engineering careers for male and female students. Data used in this study were drawn from the Factors Influencing College Success in Mathematics project, a nationally-representative survey garnering responses from 10,437 college calculus students. Results from an exploratory factor analysis validated the mathematics identity framework proposed. Additionally, results from a logistic regression indicate that mathematics interest and recognition in mathematics significantly predict the choice of an engineering career, even after controlling for SAT/ACT mathematics scores and demographic background, such as parental education. Moreover, the interaction between recognition in mathematics and gender is also significant and indicates that being recognized in mathematics has a stronger positive impact on the choice of an engineering career for females than for males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]