Competencies and Performance of Engineering Professors: Evidence from a Brazilian Public University

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the influence of Engineering professors’ competencies on their performance, as perceived by Engineering students and graduates from a Brazilian federal public university. Regarding methodology, a set of Engineering educators’ competencies were proposed, identified, and validated by exploratory factor analysis (EFA), parallel analysis, internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha), and partial confirmatory factor analysis (PCFA) in a sample of 139 Engineering students and graduates (engineers), who answered a 35-item questionnaire. Results reveal three main competencies (namely, content-pedagogical knowledge, innovation-inspiring attitudes, and emotional skills) that further the research on the competencies of Engineering professors. First, content-pedagogical knowledge is perceived by students as a single, merged competence. Second, Engineering students not only need to develop innovation competencies, but Engineering educators also have to develop innovation-inspiring attitudes to motivate students’ innovativeness. Third, emotional skills also play an important role in professors’ performance. Finally, the impact of these competencies on Engineering educators’ performance was confirmed and analyzed by means of a logistic regression.