“…"Historically, studies of organizations have tended to examine key issues like 'leadership' … as if their meaning were self-evident" (Collinson, 2003, p. 528), and the same observation can be made about leadership research within the field of engineering education. Much of the published literature regarding leadership and the ECT experience has relied on anecdotal evidence (Wankat, 2005), surveys (e.g., Barry et al, 2013;S anchez-Alejo et al, 2010;Sirianni et al, 2003), and cursory mentions of "leadership" as a benefit of participation (e.g., Sulzbach, 2007;Wankat, 2005) without a deeper examination of the concept. Participation is assumed to contribute to leadership development because the students engage in teamwork, set goals, run meetings, and manage the project.…”