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Perceived Factors Contributing to the Subjective Wellbeing of Undergraduate Engineering Students: An Exploratory Study

Author

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  • Muhammad Asghar

    (Engineering Education Department, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA)

  • Angela Minichiello

    (Engineering Education Department, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA)

  • Assad Iqbal

    (Engineering Education Systems & Design Department, Arizona State University, Mesa, AZ 85212, USA)

Abstract

Engineering education is perceived to be a tough field of study with detrimental effects on the mental health of undergraduate engineering students. High levels of anxiety and depression are reported among this population. Overall, mental health research is often biased toward looking at mental health from a deficit perspective and investigating mental health as a negative phenomenon. This trend also persists in engineering education research. The purpose of this exploratory study, therefore, is to investigate the condition of subjective wellbeing (SWB) of undergraduate engineering students to understand the factors that they perceive as positively contributing to their overall wellbeing in an engineering college environment. Qualitative data from eight undergraduate engineering students interviewed in fall 2021 in the college of engineering at a land grant public institution in the western USA were thematically analyzed. The resulting 11 themes were then re-grouped and conceptualized into 7 factors (faculty support, learning experiences, support environment, financial support, engineering practice opportunities, task organization, and task orientation) for clear mapping, understanding, and explanation. The outcomes from this research have positive implications for the SWB of undergraduate engineering students, with support from their educational institutions.

Suggested Citation

  • Muhammad Asghar & Angela Minichiello & Assad Iqbal, 2022. "Perceived Factors Contributing to the Subjective Wellbeing of Undergraduate Engineering Students: An Exploratory Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-19, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:23:p:16284-:d:994103
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Michael Furlong & Sukkyung You & Tyler Renshaw & Douglas Smith & Meagan O’Malley, 2014. "Preliminary Development and Validation of the Social and Emotional Health Survey for Secondary School Students," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 117(3), pages 1011-1032, July.
    2. Peter Greenspoon & Donald Saklofske, 2001. "Toward an Integration of Subjective Well-Being and Psychopathology," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 54(1), pages 81-108, April.
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    1. Jian-Hong Ye & Mengmeng Zhang & Xiantong Yang & Mengqin Wang, 2023. "The Relation between Intergroup Contact and Subjective Well-Being among College Students at Minzu Universities: The Moderating Role of Social Support," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-13, February.

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