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3 Research Results
Pages 51-96

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From page 51...
... The consultants then conducted qualitative and quantitative research, which added to our knowledge of stakeholder perceptions of engineering, vetted preliminary messages, validated the positioning statement, and provided an evidence base for recommendations. The qualitative research comprised individual interviews, adult and teen focus groups, and "triads" (groups of three)
From page 52...
... In-Depth Interviews In the first phase of the qualitative research for this study (September and October 2006) , Bemporad Baranowski Marketing Group/ Global Srategy Group (BBMG/GSG)
From page 53...
... Some felt that cable TV programs that explain "the way things work" or feature engineering "marvels" expose many more people to a positive image of the field than the best-­organized "engineering fair" or "popsicle-stick bridge-building contest," which only attract people who are already interested in engineering. Interviewees who are engineers expressed concerns that the contributions of engineering to everyday lives are taken for granted.
From page 54...
... The parent group was asked what they thought was important in career choices for their children.  One-on-one interviews with young children are notorious for causing respondents to "shut down," and focus groups with young children are similarly unproductive.
From page 55...
... It gives them aspirations for greatness. It's changing your life for the better." Vocational instructor and middle school technology teacher Limitless Imagination (focuses on the innovative nature of engi neering design)
From page 56...
... Teens were also asked for their opinions about several possible professions or career choices they may choose, and asked if they thought that profession or career choice would be a very good choice, a good choice, a fair choice, or a bad choice for them. Teen respondents were ineligible to participate if they believed engineering was a "bad choice" for them, personally.
From page 57...
... The general format was the same as for the teen and adult focus groups, with one exception. Children were asked to react to engineering-related pictures rather than to respond to the message themes directly.
From page 58...
... However, there was a strong underlying assumption that girls "who like things that boys tend to like" (e.g., video games, cars and vehicles, building things) were more likely to become engineers than "average girls" (e.g., girls who want to be veterinarians, lawyers, doctors, fashion designers, teachers, or otherwise want to "work with people")
From page 59...
... TABLE 3-1  Examples of Engineering Shown to Students in Focus Groups • How the pyramids were built • Automotive design • Space • Computer-aided design • Designing video games • Missile defense systems • Building an acoustically perfect • Interactive television concert hall • Traffic design • What makes a bridge • High-definition television • Building the world's tallest bridge • Nuclear fission (over 1,000 feet high) • Internet security systems • Designing the world's fastest plane • iPod • Developing new foods • Making homes safer • How MRI machines work • How a million Twinkies are made • DNA testing every day • Using DNA evidence to solve crimes • How tower cranes work • Cars that run on alternative fuels • Velcro • Making cars safer • High-speed image transmission • Growing organs for emergency • High-performance racing cars transplants • Turning deserts into farmland • Making smaller, faster computer • Wind power processors • Solar energy • Protecting the rainforest • Machines that allow blind people • High-speed (250 mph)
From page 60...
... High-tech devices, such as the iPod and video games, were picked by a broad range of children, while pictures of the microchip were picked mostly by science- and mathoriented students. Some students found images and descriptions of space exploration interesting, while others gravitated more toward historical examples of engineering (e.g., catapults or pyramids)
From page 61...
... I know it is a stereotype, but I think [engineers] tend to see things more black and white.…Very precise, detail oriented, they are not going to get into a conversation about politics or news." In the discussion of message themes, parents tended to prefer the practical messages, underscoring their interest in job security for their children.
From page 62...
... Second, they provide a statistically sound foundation for making a case for new messaging to present to the engineering community. Methodology The online survey was administered in two phases: to an initial sample of teens and adults in December 2006 and two oversamples of African American and Hispanic teens and adults in spring 2007.
From page 63...
... and returned 605 surveys from African American adults, 608 surveys from Hispanic adults, 535 surveys from African American teens, and 566 surveys from Hispanic teens. Like BBMG/ GSG, Harris Interactive relied on pre-recruited panels of respondents.
From page 64...
... Taken together, actual and inferred income data suggest that a significant proportion of adults and teens in the African American and Hispanic oversamples, and of adults in the initial sample, were of moderate to low income.
From page 65...
... in career choices. Adults in the initial sample and Hispanic adults in the oversample rated interesting work and job availability equally as the two most important factors (Table 3-3)
From page 66...
... NOTE: Pairs of shaded cells indicate responses where differences exceeded the sampling tolerance and are therefore significant. Gray = adults vs.
From page 67...
... 23 (5) NOTE: Pairs of shaded cells indicate responses where differences exceeded the sampling tolerance and are therefore significant.
From page 68...
... When gender was taken into account, African American girls were significantly more likely than African American boys to look for a job that makes a difference. Salary was a strong second choice for African American teens and the top choice among African American boys, who were significantly more likely than African American girls to consider salary extremely important.
From page 69...
... Initial Sample African American Oversample Hispanic Oversample Adults Teens Adults Teens Adults Teens Professional All Boys Girls All Boys Girls All Boys Girls Teacher 8.18 (1)
From page 70...
... A majority of adults and teens also chose "designers," "builders," and "problem solvers." More teens than adults chose "hard workers." African American women were more likely than African American men to believe engineers are well paid, hard working, and smart. Although in the in-depth interviews, engineers said they believed the public viewed them as "boring" and "nerdy," fewer than 15 percent of adults or teens in the survey described engineers this way, although teens in the initial sample were three times as likely as adults in that group to consider engineering "boring" and twice as likely to consider engineers "nerdy." Hispanic girls were significantly more likely than Hispanic boys to think engineers were nerdy and boring.
From page 71...
... Among all teens, computer processors, video games, and high-definition television were significantly more appealing to boys than to girls. And girls in the initial sample and the African American oversample found the idea of using DNA evidence to solve crimes much more appealing than boys did.
From page 72...
... Initial Sample African American Oversample Hispanic Oversample Words Associated with Adults Teens Adults Teens Adults Teens Engineering All Boys Girls All Boys Girls All Boys Girls Builders/ 23 (1)
From page 73...
... less than 1%. NOTE: Pairs of shaded cells indicate responses where differences exceeded the sampling tolerance and are therefore significant.
From page 74...
... 45 (8) Original thinkers 43 (8)
From page 75...
... 4 (25) NOTE: Pairs of shaded cells indicate responses where differences exceeded the sampling tolerance and are therefore significant.
From page 76...
... 51 (2) allow blind people to see Building cars 58 (2)
From page 77...
... 39 (11) faster computer processor Growing organs 32 (19)
From page 78...
... 7 (27) NOTE: Pairs of shaded cells indicate responses where differences exceeded the sampling tolerance and are therefore significant.
From page 79...
... Engineers connect science to the real world. They collaborate with scientists and other specialists (such as ani mators, architects, or chemists)
From page 80...
... Bottom bar = Hispanic oversample. 3-1.eps Engineers make a world of difference Engineers are creative problem solvers Engineering is essential to our health, happiness and safety Engineers help shape the future Engineers connect science to the real world 0 20 40 60 80 100 Percentage FIGURE 3-2  Messages selected as "very appealing" by teens, by percentage.
From page 81...
... The message that received the lowest percentage of "very appealing" rankings by respondents in all groups was "Engineers connect science to the real world." This message was also the least personally TABLE 3-8  Message Appeal, Believability, and Relevance Among Adults and Teens, by Percentages (rank) African American Hispanic Initial Sample Oversample Oversample Message Adults Teens Adults Teens Adults Teens Engineers make a world of difference Very appealing 55 (1)
From page 82...
... Bottom bar = Hispanic oversample.  Engineers make a world of difference Engineers are creative problem solvers Engineering is essential to our health, happiness and safety Engineers help shape the future Engineers connect science to the real world 0 20 40 60 80 100 Percentage FIGURE 3-4  Messages selected as "most appealing" by teens, by percentage. Note: Top bar = initial sample.
From page 83...
... The second most appealing message for girls, across the board, was "Engineering is essential to our health, happiness, and safety." Girls age 16 and 17 in the African American oversample and all girls in the Hispanic oversample found the "essential to health and happiness" message significantly more appealing than did the boys in those groups. Informed adults in the Hispanic and African American oversamples were significantly more positive than their not informed counterparts about all but one message: Engineers are creative problem-solvers.
From page 84...
... appealing message for all but African American boys, who found the message "Engineering is essential to our health, happiness, and safety" least appealing, and Hispanic girls, who found the message "Engineers help shape the future" least appealing. Among Hispanic adults, women reacted more positively to "Engineers are creative problem solvers" than men.
From page 85...
... 20 (3) essential to our health, happiness and safety NOTE: Pairs of shaded cells indicate responses where differences between boys and girls exceeded the sampling tolerance and are therefore significant.
From page 86...
... African American teens, for example, favored, "Designed to work wonders." The second favorite choice of adults and teens in the initial sample and the Hispanic oversample was "Because dreams need doing." The similar responses of girls and boys in all three populations to this tagline (Table 3-12) suggests that "Because dreams need doing" may be relatively gender neutral.
From page 87...
... 3-5.eps Turning ideas into reality Because dreams need doing The power to do Bolder by design Designed to work wonders Behind the next big thing Life takes engineering 0 20 40 60 80 100 Percentage FIGURE 3-6  Preliminary taglines selected as "very appealing" by teens, by percentage. Note: Top bar = initial sample.
From page 88...
... 14 (7) engineering NOTE: Pairs of shaded cells indicate responses where differences exceeded the sampling tolerance and are therefore significant.
From page 89...
... One implication of this difference for messaging is to keep in mind that adults, who may influence students' career choices, may be especially sensitive to reports (accurate or not) of the outsourcing of technical jobs, including engineering jobs, and the resultant possible decrease in employment opportunities.
From page 90...
... However, our research shows Dilbert is not the public's image of an engineer. Neither adults nor teens in our study correlated Dilbert's characteristics with real engineers.
From page 91...
... Thus, findings that call out differences in attitudes or understanding between teens and adults are grouped together, as are findings for boys and girls, men and women, and informed and not informed adults. When used in concert with the detailed data presented in the body of Chapter 3, the annex should be a useful guide for designing effective outreach to improve public understanding of engineering.
From page 92...
... Parents tended to prefer the more practical messages, underscoring their concerns about job security for their children. Online Survey General Findings Both adults and teens said the most distinguishing characteristic of engineers is their high skill level in mathematics and science.
From page 93...
... Teens versus Adults Teens in the initial sample were three times as likely as adults to consider engineering "boring" and twice as likely to consider engineers "nerdy." More teens than adults considered engineers hard workers. Teens across the board responded more strongly than adults to entertainment technologies, such as iPods and video games.
From page 94...
... African American girls were significantly more likely than African American boys to want a job that "makes a difference." African American boys were significantly more likely than African American girls to consider salary extremely important to job choice. Hispanic girls were significantly more likely than Hispanic boys to think engineers were nerdy and boring.
From page 95...
... After "Engineers make a world of difference," the second most appealing message for girls across the board was "Engineering is essential to our health, happiness and safety." "Engineers connect science to the real world" was the least appealing message for all teens. However, African American boys disliked the "Engineering is essential to our health, happiness and safety" message most, and Hispanic girls disliked the "Engineers help shape the future" message most.


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