Developing Undergraduates' Self-Efficacy for Engineering Leadership: Relations Among Leadership Attributes, Teamwork Skills, and Creativity

• In Event: 77.031 - Teamwork and Leadership

Abstract

This study investigated engineering undergraduate students’ self-efficacy associated with their leadership attributes such as self-awareness, global-awareness, ethical-awareness, creativity, and teamwork skills. Data came from online responses of 247 engineering undergraduates who completed an engineering leadership principles course. Bivariate correlations showed a strong positive correlation between ethical-awareness and global-awareness, and between teamwork skills and leadership. Path analysis showed that students with higher levels of three leadership attributes had a higher leadership self-efficacy, mediated by teamwork skills and creativity. These results have implication for interventions focused on students’ leadership self-efficacy by way of improving teamwork skills, creativity, and leadership attributes (ethical-awareness, global-view, and self-awareness).

Authors

• John Jongho Park, The Pennsylvania State University

• Meg Handley

• Dena Lang

• Andrew Michael Erdman