Psychological determinants of student retention in engineering: a systematic synthesis

Abstract

Abstract– Purpose: Student persistence in engineering constitutes a multidimensional phenomenon that transcends traditional academic performance indicators. This study aimed to systematically analyze the scientific literature on psychological factors associated with student persistence in engineering programs. A systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA 2020 protocol, searching Scopus, ScienceDirect, and ERIC databases within the 2020-2025 timeframe. From 685 initial records, 65 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. Results identified six main psychological factors: self-efficacy (64.6%), sense of belonging (58.5%), academic motivation (47.7%), engineering identity (36.9%), psychological well-being (29.2%), and academic satisfaction (24.6%). High methodological robustness evidence documented significant associations between self-efficacy (β=0.31-0.48) and sense of belonging (β=0.28-0.42) with persistence. The findings conclude that psychological factors demonstrate greater explanatory power than traditional academic indicators, providing an evidence-based foundation for differentiated institutional interventions targeting underrepresented populations in engineering education. Keywords: student persistence, self-efficacy, sense of belonging, engineering education, systematic review