Preparing Future Outstanding Engineers: Multidimensional Structure and Associated Factors of Core Competence

Preparing engineers for rapidly changing sociotechnical environments requires a clear account of the competencies that undergraduate engineering programs should foster. This study used the term future outstanding engineers to refer to engineering undergraduates being prepared for engineering excellence and examined the structure and correlates of their self-reported core competence. Cross-sectional survey data were obtained from 578 engineering undergraduates at a Chinese research university. A reflective–formative higher-order model was estimated using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM); partial least squares multigroup analysis (PLS-MGA) compared grade cohorts; and multiple linear regression examined associations with student background and educational experience. Adaptive, professional, and basic competence formed the higher-order construct, with adaptive competence receiving the largest outer weight. The outer weight of adaptive competence was larger, and that of professional competence smaller, among third-year than first-year students; the outer weight of basic competence did not differ significantly. Selected co-curricular and language-learning experiences were associated with adaptive competence, whereas family background and leadership experience were associated with professional competence. Basic competence was associated with a broader set of student background and engagement variables. These findings support a differentiated, stage-sensitive approach to competence development. Because the data are cross-sectional, self-reported, and drawn from one institution, the results should be interpreted as structural and associational rather than developmental or causal.