Developing an instrument to measure engineering design self-efficacy : a pilot study

The following pilot study is an investigation of how to develop an instrument that measures students’ self-efficacy regarding engineering design. 36 items were developed and tested using three types of validity evidence. First, the content of the instrument was tested to ensure that the full domain (each subdimension) of the engineering design process was represented. Second, the instrument was tested for whether responses to the instrument could identify groups with various levels of engineering design experience. Finally, theoretical connections between motivation, expectancy for success, and anxiety were tested to determine their appropriateness in the measurement of self-efficacy. Results confirmed an accurate reading of engineering design self-efficacy for 82 volunteer respondents with diverse engineering expertise.