Measuring Disciplinary Perceptions of Engineering from a Cultural Lens: A Validation of an Instrument in a Research Technical University

Abstract

Engineering culture is a complex phenomenon that needs to be understood to promote the value of professional skills and not only the technical skills that have been traditionally valued in engineering. This study investigates ways to identify patterns of cultural traits in undergraduate engineering students, by using and validating an instrument originally developed to measure national culture. This study was conducted in three phases: in Phase 1, we validated an instrument to measure engineering culture based on Hofstede’s model of national culture. In this phase, we conducted an exploratory factor analysis and a reliability analysis with responses of 1261 undergraduate students. In phase 2, we identified how the dimensions in Hofstede’s model mapped and differed between academic engineering disciplines. To accomplish that goal, we conducted descriptive statistics and an analysis of the variance of responses of 794 engineering students. In phase 3, we analyzed if some of Hofstede’s dimensions are inherent to prospective engineering students or if they were influenced by their specific engineering programs. In phase 3, we collected data from 1,330 first-year engineering students and compared them with data from the same students at the end of their first year. Moreover, for three specific majors, we compared them with data of 261 senior students. Results demonstrated the validity of the instrument in academic disciplines and showed that the uncertainty avoidance dimension of Hofstede’s model differed between three engineering majors (i.e., ECE, ISE, and CS). This dimension did not differ after the first year but changed in the senior year.

Understanding Students’ Perceptions of Dimensions of Engineering Culture in Ecuador

“…To assess the quality of the research, the study stands on previous studies conducted by one of the authors [4], [6], [35]. Content validity was discussed and determined by the researchers in consensus [36].…”

“…Content validity was discussed and determined by the researchers in consensus [36]. Construct validity is addressed by using a survey that has been proven to be an effective tool to assess the cultural dimensions of a group [24], [29], [30], [37], [38] and the authors even demonstrated its validity in academic settings [4].…”

“…There is significant engineering education research in the United States on understanding disciplinary engineering culture [4]- [8]. Although culture is considered a complex phenomenon [9]- [11], understanding aspects of it, especially at the disciplinary level, is important to identify paths to improve engineering education in general.…”

Cultural Dimensions in Academic Disciplines, a Comparison Between Ecuador and the United States of America

“…In order to better understand the differences between personal cultural orientation in engineering students from the U.S. and Ecuador, data were collected quantitatively using a survey adapted by Sharma [4] to measure Hofstede's cultural dimensions within engineering students. This survey was not only validated by Sharma [4] but also the authors validated it for its use in academic disciplines [15].…”

“…Masculine cultures thus experience a greater gap between men's and women's roles [9], [10], [12] Despite Hofstede's theory receiving some criticism (see [14] for full details), we consider there is value in testing Hofstede's theory of dimensions of national culture in academic settings. Hofstede's model uses dimensions of culture that have been validated in a variety of contexts and scenarios [14], [15], and we have been using his theory to explore different engineering disciplines [6]- [8], [8], [14].…”