Influences of local affect on the development of engineering identity

The development of an engineering identity has been studied with increasing interest due to the potential ramifications on retention in undergraduate engineering programs. While identity is often described as having affective components, this study examines the specific links between students’ local affect–their emotions experienced in the doing of coursework in their engineering, mathematics, and science classes–and their formation of an engineering identity. Through the examination of retrospective interviews with students at the end of their first two semesters in an engineering program, links are established between local affect and three aspects of engineering identity formation: performance, competence, and interest. For performance and competence, meta-affect plays an important role in determining the influence of negative local affect on identity.