Leadership and Personality Development II 310259C
Correlation Between Engineering Student Leadership Practices, Personality Types, and
Demographic Characteristics
Introduction
In the twenty-first century, engineers are
increasingly tasked with responsibilities extending
beyond technical expertise, necessitating
proficiency in leadership to navigate diverse
societal, cultural, and environmental challenges.
Recognizing this imperative, universities
worldwide are investing in leadership development
programs tailored for engineering students. While
numerous studies have examined the
effectiveness of such programs, few have delved
into the potential influence of students' personality
traits and demographic characteristics on their
leadership practices. This paper aims to bridge
this gap by investigating the correlation between
leadership practices, as measured by the Student
Leadership Practices Inventory (SLPI), and
personality types, assessed using the Myers-
Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), among engineering
and science students from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Singapore
University of Technology and Design (SUTD). By
elucidating these relationships, this study seeks to
provide valuable insights to inform the design and
implementation of tailored leadership programs for
engineering students, ultimately contributing to
their holistic development as future leaders in their
respective fields.
Objectives
• Explore the correlation between engineering
students' MBTI personality types and their
leadership practices.
• Investigate potential differences in leadership
practices based on students' gender and
institutional affiliation.
• Examine whether specific MBTI personality
types, genders, or institutional affiliations have
unique associations with particular leadership
practices.
• Assess the impact of personality types, gender,
and institutional affiliation on engineering
students' engagement in leadership activities.
• Identify potential suppression effects among
personality types, gender, and institutional
affiliation in predicting leadership practices.
Method/Approach/Proposed Idea
The methodological approach proposed for this
study involves administering the Myers-Briggs
Type Indicator (MBTI) to assess engineering
students' personality types and the Student
Leadership Practices Inventory (SLPI) to measure
their leadership practices. This cross-sectional
study will recruit participants from both the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and
the Singapore University of Technology and
Design (SUTD) to ensure a diverse sample. Data
collection will involve administering the MBTI and
SLPI surveys at different stages of the leadership
program to capture changes over time. Statistical
analyses, including correlation analyses, t-tests,
and multiple regression analyses, will be
conducted to explore the relationships between
personality types, demographic characteristics,
and leadership practices among engineering
students. Additionally, the study will explore
potential cultural differences in leadership
practices between U.S. and international students.
Overall, this methodological approach aims to
provide comprehensive insights into the
correlations between personality types,
demographic characteristics, and leadership
practices among engineering students, informing
the development of tailored leadership programs
in engineering education.
In addition to quantitative analyses, qualitative
methods such as interviews or focus groups may
be employed to gain deeper insights into students'
perceptions of leadership, how they perceive their
own leadership abilities, and their experiences
within the leadership program. These qualitative
data could complement the quantitative findings
by providing rich, contextual information and
capturing nuances that may not be captured
through survey responses alone. By combining
both quantitative and qualitative approaches, this
study aims to offer a comprehensive
understanding of the complex interplay between
personality types, demographic characteristics,
and leadership practices among engineering
students, ultimately informing the development of
effective leadership development programs
tailored to the needs of diverse student
populations
.
Advantages Benefit to the Society
• Provides valuable insights into students' natural
By gaining a deeper understanding of the
leadership inclinations based on personality
correlation between engineering students'
types.
personality types, demographic characteristics,
and leadership practices, society can benefit from
• Offers a standardized method for assessing
the development of more effective and tailored
leadership practices and personality traits
leadership programs within educational
among engineering students.
institutions. These programs can nurture future
engineering leaders who possess a diverse range
• Facilitates the identification of potential areas
of leadership skills and capabilities, enabling them
for targeted leadership development within
to navigate complex challenges and drive
engineering education.
innovation in various sectors. Additionally, by
promoting inclusivity and diversity in leadership
• Enables comparison and benchmarking of
development, these programs can contribute to
leadership practices across demographic
creating more equitable and inclusive
groups and institutions.
environments within engineering fields, fostering
collaboration, creativity, and positive societal
• Enhances understanding of the role of
impact. Ultimately, a well-informed approach to
personality and demographic characteristics in
leadership education in engineering not only
shaping leadership behaviours among
cultivates individual potential but also contributes
engineering students.
to the advancement of society as a whole.
Disadvantages
Conclusion and Future Work
• Relies on self-reported data, which may be
subject to bias or inaccuracies. This study sheds light on the intricate relationship
between personality types, demographic
• Limited generalizability due to the specific characteristics, and leadership practices among
demographic and institutional context of the engineering students, providing valuable insights
study. for the design of tailored leadership programs.
Moving forward, future research could expand on
• Potential for oversimplification of complex these findings by exploring additional factors
personality traits and leadership practices into influencing leadership development, such as
discrete categories.
cultural influences, mentorship opportunities, and
experiential learning.
• Does not account for situational factors or
environmental influences on leadership
behaviours.
• May overlook other relevant factors contributing
Personal Details:
to leadership development, such as prior
experiences or mentorship opportunities.
Name : Soham S. Vadje
Class-Div.: TE - A
• May oversimplify the multifaceted nature of
Roll No: TECO232A037
leadership by categorizing individuals into
Exam Seat No: T190084353
distinct personality types, potentially neglecting
the fluidity and complexity of human behaviour
Department of Computer Engineering,
and interactions.
D.Y. Patil College, of Engineering,
Akurdi, Pune-44.