2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Leadership is a critical competency in the engineering field, requiring technical expertise and the ability to lead teams, make informed decisions, and adapt to changing environments. Recently, there has been increasing demand to integrate leadership skill development into engineering education, as many graduates face difficulties when assuming leadership roles in professional settings. Previous research highlights the influence of factors such as professional experience, extracurricular activities, and demographic variables on individuals’ self-perception of leadership abilities. However, it is also interesting to study the relationship between academic performance and the leadership skills developed by students. Studying the link between GPA and leadership skills is essential, as GPA is often seen as an indicator of academic performance and may be associated with key leadership qualities such as organization and responsibility. This analysis seeks to determine whether high academic achievement correlates with the development of soft skills, which are critical for effective team management and communication. Furthermore, it examines whether the current educational system of an engineering school successfully balances technical knowledge and leadership development, providing a comprehensive understanding of a student’s profile and suggesting areas for improvement in engineering leadership training. This study aims to analyze the leadership characteristics of final-year engineering students by examining the relationship between various sociodemographic factors, including GPA, academic program, work experience, professional internship, gender, and participation in extracurricular activities. The Developmental Leadership Questionnaire (DLQ), customized for the academic context and based on transformational leadership theory, assessed leadership characteristics. A path analysis was conducted to explore the direct and indirect relationships between GPA, work experience, professional internships, extracurricular activities, and leadership skills. This model allowed us to examine how these factors influence students' self-perception of leadership skills, particularly in relation to their assessment of the importance of leadership training. The analysis sheds light on how various academic and experiential factors contribute to the development of leadership skills, highlighting the complex interactions between these variables. The results revealed the direct and indirect effects of GPA, leadership skills, and the role of professional experience in leadership skills. These findings suggest that other factors, such as professional internships or extracurricular activities, may substantially bridge the gap between academic performance and leadership competence. These findings offer valuable insights into the impact of academic performance and practical experience on leadership development among engineering students. The study underscores the need to foster both technical and leadership skills within engineering curricula, offering guidance for more holistic educational approaches that better prepare graduates for leadership roles in the engineering profession.