ERIC Number: EJ1286727
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Jan
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1069-4730
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Linking Personal and Professional Social Responsibility Development to Microethics and Macroethics: Observations from Early Undergraduate Education
Schiff, Daniel S.; Logevall, Emma; Borenstein, Jason; Newstetter, Wendy; Potts, Colin; Zegura, Ellen
Journal of Engineering Education, v110 n1 p70-91 Jan 2021
Background: Developing social responsibility attitudes in future engineers and computer scientists is of critical and rising importance. Yet research shows that prosocial attitudes decline during undergraduate engineering education. Purpose: Influenced by the Professional Social Responsibility Development Model (PSRDM), this study explores the connection between undergraduate personal social responsibility attitudes and the development of professional social responsibility attitudes. We consider a wide range of college and precollege influences and inhibitors. Design/Method: We conducted and analyzed 21 semistructured interviews of second-year undergraduates, predominantly in engineering and computer science. The interviews form the first collection of qualitative data for a multiyear mixed methods study which has followed a cohort of students since they entered college. Results: We find preliminary evidence that social responsibility attitudes tend to be conceptually separated for early undergraduates along two lines: personal and professional considerations, and microlevel and macrolevel concerns. This leads some students to assume that social responsibility obligations can be considered as a weekend project, may fall into place later in one's career, and can generally be deprioritized compared to technical education and career pursuits. Candidate explanations for this divide include early influences from parents, religious values, collegiate social interaction, students' limited familiarity with their future profession, and a social/technical divide and meritocratic ideology in engineering culture. Conclusions: This study provides qualitative evidence to advance the conceptual understanding of professional social responsibility development. The findings highlight key individual and institutional influences and barriers for scholars and practitioners interested in nurturing prosocial attitudes among engineering students.
Descriptors: Social Responsibility, Engineering Education, Prosocial Behavior, Undergraduate Students, Student Attitudes, Computer Science Education, Social Influences, Ideology, Professional Personnel, Barriers, Ethics
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www-wiley-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Social and Economic Sciences (SES)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: 1635554
Author Affiliations: N/A