طراحی و اعتباریابی الگوی شایستگی‌های شناختی دانشجویان فنی-مهندسی (مورد: دانشگاه تهران)

سحر  صوفی; منصوره حاج حسینی; جواد  پورکریمی; ابراهیم   علیزاده

Authors

Sahar Soufi PhD in Educational Psychology, Kish International Campus, University of Tehran, Tehran , Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5666-869X
Mansureh Hajhosseini Associate Professor, Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran Corresponding author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6937-1609
Javad PourKarimi Associate Professor,Department of Educational Management and Planning, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4599-9087
Ebrahim Alizadeh Assistant Professor, Counseling Psychology Department, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8040-4165

Keywords:

Competency, Cognitive Competency, Technical Engineering Students, Grounded Theory

Abstract

This study aimed to identify and explain the cognitive competencies of technical-engineering students within a conceptual model and to develop and validate a scale for assessing these competencies. An exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was employed. In the qualitative phase, 26 academic experts were recruited through theoretical purposive sampling, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using Strauss and Corbin’s systematic grounded theory approach through open, axial, and selective coding. Based on the identified central phenomenon, an initial pool of 81 items was developed; following content-validity assessment by 14 experts, 66 items were retained for quantitative evaluation. In the quantitative phase, 401 technical-engineering students at the University of Tehran were selected using stratified random sampling. Construct validity was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and reliability was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha. Data were analyzed using SPSS 26 and AMOS 24. CFA supported an eight-dimensional structure comprising critical thinking, creative thinking, visual-spatial thinking, algorithmic thinking, systems thinking, cognitive flexibility, self-leadership, and practical/entrepreneurial orientation. The measurement model demonstrated satisfactory fit (χ²=2353.93, χ²/df=1.81, CFI=0.93, GFI=0.92, AGFI=0.90, and RMSEA=0.045). All regression weights were statistically significant (p<0.001), with factor loadings across the eight dimensions ranging from 0.40 to 0.80. Reliability coefficients for all dimensions exceeded 0.65, providing further evidence for the construct validity and acceptable psychometric adequacy of the developed scale.Cognitive competency among technical-engineering students is a multidimensional construct manifested in “entrepreneurial self-leadership” and formed through the integration of intellectual-mental competencies, self-leadership, and entrepreneurial orientation. The validated model and accompanying scale provide an empirically supported framework for competency assessment, educational planning, and the development of competency-based interventions in engineering education.

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