Relationships between ICT competencies related to work, self-esteem, and self-regulated learning with engineering competencies

Abstract

The rapid development of advanced technology worldwide has promoted an increase in the need for highly skilled engineers who are adept at applying job-related technologies and have engineering competency (ENcom) to gain knowledge and introduce creative solutions. However, little is known about the underlying mechanism of the associations between ICT competencies related to work (ICT-Work) and the ENcom of engineering students. This study sought to examine the role of ICT-Work on ENcom. Based on the literature, self-esteem and self-regulated learning (SRL) were identified as factors that indicate the effect of ICT-Work on ENcom, while gender was identified as a moderator that conditioned these mediated relationships. The sample consisted of 1,313 undergraduate engineering students from eleven universities in Thailand. The results of structural equation modeling (SEM) showed positive direct and indirect effects of ICT-Work on ENcom, self-esteem, and SRL and confirmed that self-esteem and SRL mediate the impact of ICT-Work on ENcom. Moreover, multigroup SEM revealed no gender differences in the factor loadings and structural path coefficients of ICT-Work on ENcom via self-esteem and SRL. To prepare students for their professional lives in the digital world, educational institutions should emphasize the importance of developing engineering students in ICT-Work and the use of advanced ICT involved in the job.

How personal values and critical dispositions support digital citizenship development in higher education students

“…Further, the average variance extracted (AVE) should be higher than 0.50 ( Hair et al, 2019 ); here, the AVE values varied between 0.381 and 0.555 ( Table 3 ). However, if AVE values are below the 0.50 threshold but the CR is greater than 0.60, then the construct’s convergent validity is satisfactory ( Fornell and Larcker, 1981 ; Khampirat, 2021 ). Table 3 also shows the goodness of fit indices for all measurement models.…”

“…Intensively studied in the last decades, digital competences among university students grow into relevant long-term assets. They are positively connected to work-related competences through self-esteem and self-regulated learning ( Khampirat, 2021 ), to professional self-efficacy ( Chonsalasin and Khampirat, 2022 ) and as to professional social capital ( Chaker, 2020 ).…”

Psychometric characteristics of the career adapt-abilities scale in Thai undergraduate students: a multiple indicators multiple causes model

“…The job market in Thailand is characterized by a demand for skilled professionals in sectors such as technology, digital marketing, tourism, finance, and healthcare. Technical skills and English proficiency are often valuable assets, particularly with the growing globalization of businesses in the country ( Khampirat, 2021 ; It-ngam et al, 2023 ). Despite this, Thai students continue to encounter issues related to skills mismatch and low proficiency in the English language ( Sa-Nguanmanasak and Khampirat, 2019 ; Bamrungsin and Khampirat, 2022 ).…”

“…As indicated in Table 2, the kurtosis and skewness values were below an absolute value of 2.0 (SK < 2) and 7.0 (KU < 7) respectively. The p-values for Mardia's coefficients were greater than 0.05, suggesting that the data followed a normal distribution (Kim, 2013;Khampirat, 2021). Subsequently, outlier detection was conducted using methods like the Interquartile Range (IQR) rules and Z-scores, which revealed no outlier data points.…”

Improving Professional Skills of Pre-Service Teachers Using Online Training: Applying Work-Integrated Learning Approaches through a Quasi-Experimental Study

“…Connecting learners with businesses and communities provides a work-ready learning experience [46,48]. Thus, the WIL approach is an essential part of preparing workers to embrace their careers with the competence and confidence necessary in their profession [49][50][51]. However, again, the COVID-19 pandemic has created a critical and immediate impetus for rapid change in WIL practices and the adoption of online training guidelines [52].…”