Research Initiation: Forming the Empathic Engineer - A Path to Gender Equity in the Profession

University Of Memphis, Memphis TN

Investigators

Abstract

The current identity of many engineering education programs lacks empathy as a core element. This could be a barrier to entry for women and may also be in conflict with the human-centered values expressed by engineering's professional organizations. To increase the enrollment of women in certain sub-disciplines of engineering, a reformulation of engineering identity to consciously incorporate empathy may be required. This research effort is centered on characterizing the empathetic aspects of this identity within some of the sub-disciplines of engineering and identifying the degree to which a perceived lack of empathy forms a barrier for women pursuing engineering as a field of study. A future effort will formulate methods of transforming faculty and student attitudes to be more empathetic. It is believed that this will lead to the formation of an engineering identity that is more open to the concerns of women and more consistent with the values defined in the professional codes and creeds. The broader impacts are threefold. First, this work could point the way to increasing the representation of women in fields such as electrical, computer, and mechanical engineering. By quantifying the role that empathy plays in the identity of potential engineering students and formulating methods to increase focus on empathetic activities as part of the engineering education process, women may find a greater affinity for disciplines that have suffered from underrepresentation. Second is the potential change for engineering students as a whole. Activities such as working in teams, managing the efforts of others, and identifying with consumers of products are all enhanced through skills in empathy. The final impact is a shift in focus toward more empathetic endeavors bringing greater resonance between the training a student receives and the objectives outlined in the professional societies' identity statements. There is an opportunity with this research to empower young engineers to actually do what they are encouraged to do in every graduation speech: make the world better. This research will be performed using two instruments administered over a two-year period. The first is a quantitative survey instrument that will measure: 1) empathy of the participant, 2) perceived empathy of engineering and non-engineering disciplines, 3) likelihood of choosing an engineering or non-engineering discipline for study, and 4) perceived empathy of the current faculty and students in the major of study. Survey results will be solicited from a pool of 4000 participants taken from STEM and non-STEM majors. Based on an analysis of the results of this survey, a qualitative focus group study will be performed using a semi-structured protocol. This qualitative component will further explore the empathetic factors related to choice of major among students. The study will be administered to groups of only men, only women, and mixed groups. Groups will be composed of 5-10 volunteers at three separate universities. The proposed research is significant because it seeks to assess, for the first time, empathy among students and faculty and to attempt to relate this to the participation of women in engineering programs. This study will contribute to a greater understanding of the role empathy plays in the diversity of engineering programs.