Measuring undergraduate students' self-efficacy in engineering design in a project-based design course

Abstract

Engineering design pedagogy coupled with strategic problem-solving activities can foster real-world skills in students, and measuring students' confidence in executing the activities can help understand the effectiveness of the pedagogy better. However there is little understanding of how strongly students' confidence in problem-solving activities is related to students' confidence in conducting engineering design. In this study, the students' self-efficacy in engineering design and problem-solving activities was studied in three rounds (N = 67, 55, and 92 students). Data was analyzed to assess the students' self-efficacy and to study how closely the efficacies in problem-solving and engineering design were related. Results showed an increase in students' self-efficacy in areas related to engineering design. Regression and correlation analysis showed strong relationships between students' self-efficacy in engineering design and other problem-solving activities.