Cartwright, T. J., & Snyder-Yuly, J. L., & Yoo, W., & Narman, H. S. (2025, March), Mindset Matters: Exploring Grit and Attitudes in Engineering  and CS Undergrads in an NSF S-STEM funded program  Paper presented at 2025 ASEE North Central Section  (NCS) Annual Conference, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia. 10.18260/1-2--54676

\bibitem{asee_peer_54676}
  Cartwright, T. J., \& Snyder-Yuly, J. L., \& Yoo, W., \& Narman, H. S. (2025, March), \emph{Mindset Matters: Exploring Grit and Attitudes in Engineering  and CS Undergrads in an NSF S-STEM funded program}
  Paper presented at 2025 ASEE North Central Section  (NCS) Annual Conference, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia.
  10.18260/1-2--54676

Tina Johnson Cartwright, Julie Lynn Snyder-Yuly, Wook-sung Yoo, and Husnu Saner Narman.  "Mindset Matters: Exploring Grit and Attitudes in Engineering  and CS Undergrads in an NSF S-STEM funded program".  2025 ASEE North Central Section  (NCS) Annual Conference, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia, 2025, March.  ASEE Conferences, 2025.  https://peer.asee.org/54676 Internet.  16 May, 2025

\bibitem{asee_peer_54676}
  Tina Johnson Cartwright, Julie Lynn Snyder-Yuly, Wook-sung Yoo, and Husnu Saner Narman.
  "Mindset Matters: Exploring Grit and Attitudes in Engineering  and CS Undergrads in an NSF S-STEM funded program".
  \emph{2025 ASEE North Central Section  (NCS) Annual Conference, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia, 2025, March}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2025.
  https://peer.asee.org/54676 Internet.  16 May, 2025

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_54676
author = "Tina Johnson Cartwright, Julie Lynn Snyder-Yuly, Wook-sung Yoo, and Husnu Saner Narman"
title = "Mindset Matters: Exploring Grit and Attitudes in Engineering  and CS Undergrads in an NSF S-STEM funded program"
booktitle = "2025 ASEE North Central Section  (NCS) Annual Conference"
year = "2025"
month = "March"
address = "Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/54676}
number = {10.18260/1-2--54676}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - The Project-Based Work Studio (PWS) is designed to increase the participation of women and under-privileged students in computer science, engineering, and technology disciplines. Its focus is on recruiting, supporting, and helping students graduate by fostering a hands-on and supportive learning environment. The PWS employs a Project-Based Learning method, giving students opportunities for real-world projects and faculty mentorship, beginning in their freshman year. Research on successful STEM programs identifies three key strategies for student retention: (1) early research involvement, (2) active learning in introductory courses, and (3) participation in STEM learning communities. The PWS research, classified as "efficacy research," targets two participant groups: (1) mostly first-year students who join the seminar course for a long-term study and (2) those who leave the program. The first cohort (N=10) joined in Fall 2021, followed by the second cohort (N=9) in Fall 2022. Our methods included analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data from 2021 to 2024, using tools like the e-journal submissions, focus groups and survey tools that included Student Attitudes toward STEM survey (S-STEM), the Mindset Assessment Profile (MAP), and the Grit scale in both fall and spring semesters. The MAP evaluates a student's growth or fixed mindset, while Grit assesses their passion and persistence in achieving long-term objectives. We predict that students with higher grit and mindset scores will display more favorable attitudes toward science and mathematics. Preliminary results show that students' mindset scores remained relatively unchanged throughout the program. However, grit scores improved, with an increase in the perseverance subscale despite a decline in the passion subscale. To explore the relationship between mindset and grit, students were divided into three groups based on their mindset scores: 1) Fixed mindset (scores < 24) (N=5), 2) Mixed mindset (25 < scores < 32) (N=9), and 3) Growth mindset (scores > 32) (N=6). The analysis revealed clear relationships between grit and a growth mindset. Students with a growth mindset had higher overall grit scores, including both passion and perseverance subscales. They also exhibited a more positive attitude toward math, though the influence of mindset on attitudes toward science and 21st-century skills was less evident. Qualitative insights were gathered through e-journals and focus group interviews to capture the students' experiences in more depth. These interviews explored students' perspectives on how their mindset and grit evolved throughout the program, including their challenges, motivations, and reflections on perseverance. This allowed for a deeper understanding of how students perceived their own growth in grit and mindset over time. Students shared stories of overcoming personal and academic obstacles. Qualitative methods also revealed factors influencing passion and perseverance, including faculty support, project involvement, and personal academic goals.
In conclusion, these findings underscore the role that grit and mindset play in shaping students' attitudes toward their degree programs and suggest areas for monitoring and supporting student retention. 
AU  - Tina Johnson Cartwright
AU  - Julie Lynn Snyder-Yuly
AU  - Wook-sung Yoo
AU  - Husnu Saner Narman
CY  - Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia
DA  - 2025/03/28
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Mindset Matters: Exploring Grit and Attitudes in Engineering  and CS Undergrads in an NSF S-STEM funded program
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/54676
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--54676
ER  -