Problem-solving skill is one of the essential attributes of an engineering graduate. It refers to the ability of the person to analyse a given problem and offer the best solution within the constraints. Engineering curriculum has the mandate of equipping students with skills and competencies in problem-solving. Several factors influence the problem-solving skills in addition to the technical skills and com petencies o ffered throug h curri cular interventions. Psychological factors, which are habitual patterns of behaviour, thought and emotion, also influence problem-solving skills. This study focuses on investigating the influence of psychological factors like motivation, perception, stress, team working skills, learning styles, general self-efficacy on problem-solving skills of engineering students. This study focused on first-year students of undergraduate engineering program registered for a course titled Engineering Exploration. This course is a three-credit multidisciplinary course that effectively uses Activity-Based Learning (ABL), Design-Based Learning (DBL) and Project-Based Learning (PBL) pedagogical practices. The data collected for the study was through interviews and the use of well-structured questionnaires administered to first-year students enrolled for the course offered at the university. Results show that the psychological factors of students like motivation, perception, general self-efficacy and teamwork skills have a positive influence on problem-solving skills, while stress has a negative effect. However, the difference in learning styles does not influence problem-solving skills. © 2020, Rajarambapu Institute Of Technology. All rights reserved.
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