Engineering Identity Development Among Pre-Adolescent Learners

The notion of identity in engineering has become an emerging field in educational research, and many studies focus on the formation of professional engineering identities among undergraduate and career-aged adults, particularly women. Little is known about how pre-adolescents begin to construct their earliest conceptions of engineering and potential career aspirations. Further, there is little research on measuring young learners' engineering identity development. The purpose of this study was to examine the development of the Engineering Identity Development Scale (EIDS), an instrument designed to assess elementary school students' identity development in engineering. This study describes a three-phase approach to item construction, administration, and the gathering of reliable and valid evidence for scores on the EIDS. Item construction and administration of the instrument were conducted, and tests of reliability (internal consistency) and validity (content and internal structure) of the EIDS's scores were undertaken. The EIDS was intended to include four factors: (1) academic identity, (2) school identity, (3) occupational identity, and 4) engineering aspirations. Findings indicate that two rather than four factors best describe young children's identity: academic and engineering career. Results provide initial support for score reliability and validity of the EIDS. The reliability and validity evidence support the proposed use of the EIDS instrument. Recommendations for infusing EIDS into science and engineering education and into research related to gender, identity, and learning in science and engineering education are suggested.