Understanding Students’ Perceptions of Dimensions of Engineering Culture in Ecuador

Abstract

He holds degrees in Industrial Engineering (BS, MS), Master of Business Administration (MBA) and in Engineering Education (PhD). Homero has 15 years of international experience working in industry and academia. His research focuses on contemporary and inclusive pedagogical practices, industry-driven competency development in engineering, and understanding the barriers that Latinx and Native Americans have in engineering. Homero has been recognized as a Diggs scholar, a Graduate Academy for Teaching Excellence fellow, a Diversity scholar, a Fulbright scholar and was inducted in the Bouchet Honor Society.

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

“…In terms of individualism, we were expecting some significant differences, however, we found interesting that Ecuador (6.06) had highest scores than the U.S. (5.7), despite the U.S. having one of the highest scores of individualism (91) and Ecuador having one of the lowest one (8). We consider this result is something that should be explored further to better understand how students are developing their identity as engineers and explore if the curriculum places more value on individual development.…”

“…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].…”

“…This represents some acceptance of the fact that the future is not fully known or anticipated. Ecuadorians will have several mechanisms to avoid ambiguity, emotions are openly expressed, legislation is extensive and detailed, and religion and superstition are highly valued [8], [16]. When connecting to the collectivistic dimension, this also means that traditions of each group are very respected by their members.…”

“…However, we took several steps to assess the quality of the research. First, the study stands on previous studies conducted by some of the authors [8], [14]. Second, content validity was discussed and determined by the researchers in consensus.…”

“…The engineering culture in the U.S. is "often characterized as masculine, individualistic, and function-oriented" ( [7], p.1). In contrast, in Ecuador, very little research focuses on understanding the engineering discipline's cultural traits despite the vital link between engineering and economic development and the growth of engineering programs in this country [8]. To better understand engineering's disciplinary practice in these contexts, we sought to measure cultural traits among engineering students in the U. S. and Ecuador based on Hofstede's cultural dimensions to explain each context and compare the two countries' results.…”