Interactions among undergraduate engineers: How care and respect are demonstrated among peers

The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology requires all accredited engineering programs demonstrate that their students can function on multidisciplinary teams and communicate effectively. Previous research has shown that engineering faculty members remain uncertain on how to teach students to effectively work in groups and that care and respect from peers is a key factor related to both short- and long-term student interest in engineering. The purpose of this qualitative study was to obtain verbal descriptions of how care and respect or the lack thereof is experienced in engineering peer interactions. Eighteen participant interviews were conducted. The results of this study provided a list of actions that demonstrate care and respect and a lack thereof among engineering peers. Five conceptual categories of actions were identified. Study participants indicated that a lack of care and respect had been repeatedly experienced and/or observed during group work. Participants described a lack of guidance from faculty on how to effectively work in groups. While there are many educational advantages to group work, it also introduces some troubling peer dynamics. The findings further highlight a need for engineering faculty to teach their students how to communicate with peers and work effectively in groups.