Kennesaw State University associate professor Ordene Edwards has been awarded a five-year, $700,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study how motivation can improve retention and academic success among engineering students. Edwards, who teaches Educational Psychology in the Norman J. Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences, will lead a research team investigating whether helping students recognize the value of their coursework can enhance their performance and progress toward earning an engineering degree.
“Research shows that when students understand how coursework connects to their goals, interests, and identity, they become more engaged and are more likely to persist in their program,” Edwards said. “We want students to reflect on how valuable their engineering coursework is to their future, how enjoyable it is, what the cost of course participation might be, and how their identity connects to what they’re learning.”
The project involves several KSU faculty members: Craig Chin, assistant chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Dianhan Zheng, associate professor of psychology; Roneisha Worthy, assistant dean of student success; and Gita Taasoobshirazi, associate professor of statistics. The team’s work is based on situated expectancy-value theory, which suggests that when students see value in what they are learning, they are more likely to remain motivated and succeed academically.
“This project is important because it tackles some of the biggest challenges in engineering education, like low graduation rates and students losing motivation,” Chin said. “By focusing on different aspects of motivation, it gives students a more personalized approach to stay engaged and succeed. Since it’s built into their coursework over several years, it can make a real, long-term difference in helping to improve their academic performance.”
Beyond improving academic outcomes, the researchers hope that the intervention will also boost career readiness for engineering graduates. Zheng noted that underemployment remains an issue among engineering graduates despite common perceptions about job prospects in the field.
“Many people assume that engineering students have a smooth path to rewarding careers, yet data reveal that underemployment among engineering graduates is not uncommon,” Zheng explained. “This intervention will allow us to better understand and strengthen the factors that support a successful transition from college to the engineering workforce, ensuring that students are better prepared to apply their skills.”
