Marszalek, J., & Maher, M. (2022, August), A Measure of Problem-Solving Self-Efficacy for Undergraduate Engineering Students  Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41041

\bibitem{asee_peer_41041}
  Marszalek, J., \& Maher, M. (2022, August), \emph{A Measure of Problem-Solving Self-Efficacy for Undergraduate Engineering Students}
  Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Minneapolis, MN.
  10.18260/1-2--41041

Jacob Marszalek and Michelle Maher.  "A Measure of Problem-Solving Self-Efficacy for Undergraduate Engineering Students".  2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN, 2022, August.  ASEE Conferences, 2022.  https://peer.asee.org/41041 Internet.  26 Jun, 2024

\bibitem{asee_peer_41041}
  Jacob Marszalek and Michelle Maher.
  "A Measure of Problem-Solving Self-Efficacy for Undergraduate Engineering Students".
  \emph{2022 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Minneapolis, MN, 2022, August}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2022.
  https://peer.asee.org/41041 Internet.  26 Jun, 2024

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_41041
author = "Jacob Marszalek and Michelle Maher"
title = "A Measure of Problem-Solving Self-Efficacy for Undergraduate Engineering Students"
booktitle = "2022 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition"
year = "2022"
month = "August"
address = "Minneapolis, MN"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/41041}
number = {10.18260/1-2--41041}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - This Work-In-Progress examines higher education’s struggles to increase the retention rate of engineering students despite scholarly attention and government funding (National Science Board, 2018; President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology [PCAST], 2012). One recommendation made by researchers and policy-makers is to increase students’ sense of engineering identity and engineering self-efficacy (PCAST, 2012). Conceptualizations of these constructs often include some form of problem-solving (e.g., Major & Kirn, 2016; McKenzie, 2016; PCAST, 2012, p. 6). Therefore, it is reasonable to surmise problem-solving self-efficacy (i.e., belief in one’s ability to solve problems) is a core component of engineering identity and engineering self-efficacy, and that increasing it will increase them.

However, before investigating methods to increase problem-solving self-efficacy, researchers must operationally define it and develop a reliable and valid measure of it. Unfortunately, we found no direct measurement of problem-solving self-efficacy in a search of the STEM education literature. We did find limited studies of problem-solving as an outcome of self-efficacy in mathematics (Ozcan et al., 2021; Pajares & Miller, 1994), chemistry (Özgür, 2021), and in general (Geifman & Raban, 2015), but such studies did not examine self-efficacy in problem-solving per se.

The closest studies we found to investigating the construct of problem-solving self-efficacy were Artistico et al. (2003) and Heppner and Petersen (1982). Both studies examined everyday problem-solving as opposed to engineering problem-solving, but Heppner and Peterson developed a more thorough and generalizable scale, the Personal Problem-Solving Inventory (PPSI). The PPSI is comprised of 32, six-point response items that form three factors: problem-solving confidence, approach-avoidance style, and personal control.
 
Our purpose was to evaluate the validity of using the PPSI to measure problem-solving self-efficacy in undergraduate engineering students and modify it if necessary.

We recruited 201 students enrolled in an introductory engineering course at a large Midwestern urban university. In the first week of class, students completed an online questionnaire with the PPSI and scales measuring performance goal motivation and growth mindset.

We conducted a preliminary analysis with principal axis factoring and Promax rotation. Velicer’s MAP Test suggested three factors for extraction. We dropped 14 items that have a primary loading on any factor. The remaining 18 items formed factors representing: Problem Solving Identity (8 items, Cronbach’s alpha reliability = .81); Problem-Solving Avoidance, (7, .80); and Problem-Solving Approach, (3, .81). 

Criterion validity evidence was supported by moderate positive correlations between Problem-Solving Identity and most aspects of engineering identity, as well as growth mindset, performance goal motivation, and effort beliefs. In addition, Problem-Solving Avoidance was negatively correlated with some aspects of engineering identity, as well as growth mindset and effort beliefs.

We posit that fostering problem-solving self-efficacy can be an effective lever for increasing sense of engineering identity and self-efficacy, especially when active learning pedagogies, such as project- and designed-based learning, are encouraged for engineering programs (PCAST, 2012). But the first step in fostering problem-solving self-efficacy is measuring it reliably and validly; the revised PPSI promises to be an instrument that will enable such measurement in a usable, efficient manner.

AU  - Jacob Marszalek
AU  - Michelle Maher
CY  - Minneapolis, MN
DA  - 2022/08/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - A Measure of Problem-Solving Self-Efficacy for Undergraduate Engineering Students
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/41041
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--41041
ER  -