Development of a psychometric instrument for assesing student perceptions of experimental simulations in industrial manufacturing engineering within Spanish Higher Education

Abstract

This study describes the development and validation of a psychometric instrument to assess students’ perceptions of a practical learning activity in the Master’s program in Industrial Engineering at the University of Castilla-La Mancha. The activity, part of the “Manufacturing Systems and Materials Forming” course, integrated laboratory experimentation and FEM simulation. Initially structured around four dimensions, perceived usefulness, time and resources, conceptual understanding, and pedagogical evaluation, the instrument underwent reliability testing and Exploratory Factor Analysis, resulting in a two-factor structure. The final 17-item questionnaire demonstrated strong construct validity and internal consistency (factor loadings ≥ 0.407; Cronbach’s alpha > 0.7), with no bias related to language or academic background. A second survey confirmed response stability and indicated higher time investment, supporting the instrument’s utility for improving instructional design and workload management.