Date of Award
5-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Engineering and Science Education
Committee Chair/Advisor
Dr. Karen High
Committee Member
Dr. Matthew Ohland
Committee Member
Dr. Matthew Boyer
Committee Member
Dr. Nathalie Al-Kakoun
Committee Member
Dr. Cindy M. Leeperfectionism; engineering education; student well-being; decision-making
Abstract
Perfectionism refers to the inclination to set very high expectations for oneself, which can at times encourage personal development and at other times lead to stress and a sense of pressure. Perfectionism is widely observed among engineering students; however, instruments that distinguish adaptive striving from concern-driven tendencies in the engineering context remain limited. My study is based on the development and validation of the AMPERE (Adaptive and Maladaptive Perfectionism in Engineering) scale through a three-phase process: (I) expert review with two domain experts to establish content validity; (II) cognitive interviews with seven undergraduates to refine wording and interpretability; and (III) cross-sectional survey administration at a large R1 engineering college (N=307). Beyond the scale development, the study employs the AMPERE to study patterns of Adaptive and Maladaptive perfectionism among 307 undergraduate engineering students. Factor analysis confirmed the existence of two Adaptive and Maladaptive perfectionism factors. Using a quadrant-based heuristic, results yielded four theoretically supported perfectionism profiles in terms of High Personal Standards Perfectionism (PSP) and Evaluative Concerns Perfectionism (ECP): Adaptive Only (High PSP, Low ECP), Maladaptive Only (Low PSP, High ECP), Mixed (High PSP, High ECP), and Non-Perfectionist (Low PSP, Low ECP). Based on this heuristic, 74 students showed non-perfectionistic tendencies, 65 showed adaptive perfectionistic tendencies, 76 showed maladaptive perfectionistic tendencies, and 92 showed mixed perfectionistic tendencies. Findings further indicate higher tendencies towards maladaptive perfectionism among female engineering students compared to male students. Practical implications include brief AMPERE screening for advising and Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) referral pathways, education on adaptive versus maladaptive profiles, and decision micro-skill supports. Future work should test measurement invariance, longitudinal predictive power, and behavioral criteria, and pilot a lightweight web/mobile tool that delivers AMPERE feedback, nudges decision skills, and integrates campus resources.
Recommended Citation
Brotherton, Haleh B., "Development and Validation of the AMPERE Scale: Measuring Adaptive and Maladaptive Perfectionism in Engineering Students" (2026). All Dissertations. 4213.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/4213
Author ORCID Identifier
0000-0002-3859-8752