Needs Analysis for Developing an Imaginative Thinking Model to Enhance Engineering Students’ Innovative Entrepreneurial Employability in Western China

Abstract

Background: China’s transition toward an innovation-driven economy has exposed a structural imbalance in the engineering programmes of local universities in Western China, where technical training remains strong but the cultivation of imaginative thinking—the cognitive foundation of innovation and entrepreneurship—is weak.

Purpose: This study conducted a systematic needs analysis, the first phase of a Design and Development Research (DDR) project, to confirm whether an imaginative thinking model is needed and to identify its required content dimensions.

Methods: A convergent mixed-methods design was employed. Quantitative data were collected through a 30-item, five-point Likert questionnaire administered to 150 engineering educators across twelve provincial-level regions of Western China, while qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with nine experts in engineering education, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Instrument reliability was confirmed through a pilot study (Cronbach’s α = 0.946, n = 30).

Results: All 30 questionnaire items attracted high agreement, with means ranging from 3.99 to 4.28. Five preliminary dimensions were identified: Imaginative Learning Integration, Entrepreneurial Learning Activities, Innovation Ecosystem Support, Industry Engagement, and Design Thinking Process. Interview themes converged fully with the survey dimensions: three themes were mentioned by all nine experts and by eight of the nine.

Conclusion: A clear, triangulated perceived need for the model exists. The five dimensions are the output of this Phase 1 needs analysis, and the findings provide a preliminary, empirically grounded content basis for the subsequent design and development phase of the DDR project.