Quantifying Interpersonal Tendencies of Engineering and Science Students: A Validation Study

Engineering and science programs seek to foster a wide range of skills among students, including a myriad of professional skills. This study describes the design of two survey constructs that align with many important professional skills, Interpersonal Self-Efficacy and Emotion Regulation. We validate these constructs alongside two prominently used empathy constructs: Perspective-Taking and Empathic Concern. By validating these constructs, this study provides educators with an easily implementable and trustworthy means of ascertaining changes in student growth resulting from their own curricular interventions. As a first step in this study, the constructs' componential structures were defined. Second, confirmatory factor analysis was employed to identify the fit of the factor structures. Third, Pearson bivariate correlations were examined to ascertain relationships between constructs. The results indicate that, with modification, each construct was structurally valid. While Interpersonal Self-Efficacy and Emotion Regulation showed moderate relationships with Perspective-Taking and Empathic Concern, Interpersonal Self-Efficacy exhibited the strongest overall correlations. Constructs componential structures are used to help explain findings and to provide concrete insights into the nuances between phenomena. These findings can facilitate future explorations on engineering and science students' professional formation.