Factors Influencing Engineering Doctoral Students' Perceptions on their Readiness to Teach Engineering Courses

• Published in: 2024 IEEE International Conference on Teaching, Assessment and Learning for Engineering (TALE) pp. 1 - 8
• Main Authors: Garcia, Omar J., Kittur, Javeed
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 09.12.2024
• Subjects: Education; Engineering profession; Ethics; Federated learning; Instruments; Medical services; motor skills; psychomotor domain; Regression analysis; Reliability; Surveys; Training; undergraduate engineering
• DOI: 10.1109/TALE62452.2024.10834353

In essence, doctoral students who opt for an academic career path will have to become instructors. Nonetheless, research indicates that most PhD students have greater research experience than teaching experience. Furthermore, they may have taught through graduate teaching assistantships, which may or may not have included teaching-related training. If the doctoral students are not completely aware of all the different aspects that come with teaching, it can be challenging if they decide to become faculty members. The purpose of this study is to examine the factors influencing engineering doctoral students' perceptions on their preparedness to teaching courses when they start their academic careers.A survey instrument was distributed digitally to students across 16 R1 universities across the United States (resulting n = 285). Three sections comprised the survey instrument: demographic data, free response questions, and Likert scale questions. The Likert scale questions evaluate the participants' confidence or preparedness in areas of teaching such as the teaching and learning process (9 items); course design and delivery (8 items); creating a dynamic classroom (9 items); harnessing the power of technology (6 items); collaborative learning (6 items); and effective assessment (8 items). The data was collected in fall 2023. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to validate the factor structure. EFA revealed six factors, five factors were same as hypothesized (the teaching and learning process, course design and delivery, creating a dynamic classroom, collaborative learning, and effective assessment) and one new factor (ethical practices). The factor loadings for the final factors ranged from 0.42 to 0.99, and the internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's α) for the six factors ranged from 0.77 to 0.86, indicating high reliability.In this study, the t-test, one-way ANOVA, and multiple regression analyses were conducted. Gender identity of engineering doctoral students significantly influenced only one factor (ethical practices). Men in comparison with other gender identities reported higher self-efficacy. None of the factors were significantly influenced by the engineering doctoral students' perceptions on their preparedness to teach based on their first language. All six factors were influenced by the engineering doctoral students' choice of career path. Overall, doctoral students interested in academia reported higher self-efficacy in the teaching-learning process in comparison with industry career path and other career paths. The multiple regression analysis revealed that career path (interested in academia), teaching assistant experience, and teaching experience, positive influence engineering doctoral students' perceptions on their preparedness to teach.