Collaboration rules: A narrative comparison of engineering students and practicing engineers' collaboration experiences and beliefs using structuration theory.
Saved in:
| Title: | Collaboration rules: A narrative comparison of engineering students and practicing engineers' collaboration experiences and beliefs using structuration theory. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Loweth, Robert P.1 (AUTHOR) rloweth@purdue.edu, Daly, Shanna R.2 (AUTHOR) srdaly@umich.edu, Paborsky, Leah2 (AUTHOR) paborsky@umich.edu, Hoffman, Sara L.3 (AUTHOR) saralhof@umich.edu, Skerlos, Steven J.2,4 (AUTHOR) skerlos@umich.edu |
| Source: | Journal of Engineering Education. Apr2025, Vol. 114 Issue 2, p1-24. 24p. |
| Subjects: | Engineering education, Structuration theory, Social skills, Teams in the workplace, Cooperation, Social systems, Training of engineers |
| Abstract: | Background: Collaboration—including coordination, communication, and teamwork—is crucial to engineering practice. However, engineering students are often perceived as lacking key collaboration skills at the time of graduation. Purpose: We used structuration theory to explore how differences between students and practitioners' collaboration beliefs related to differences between academic and professional collaboration contexts. We sought to demonstrate that the perceived collaboration "skill gap" in engineering students can be explained by differences between academic and professional social systems. Methods: We conducted interviews with 30 undergraduate engineering students and 28 practicing engineers, and from these interviews produced 98 discrete narratives of participants' collaboration experiences. We thematically analyzed these 98 collaboration narratives to identify student and practitioner collaboration beliefs. We further coded four narratives for organizational enablements and constraints to show how differences in student and practitioner collaboration beliefs related to differences in organizational collaboration "rules." Findings: Students described boosting productivity through teamwork and limiting social bonding with teammates. These beliefs represented reasonable approaches to collaboration given observed organizational constraints including short project durations, single‐discipline teams, and an inability to choose teammates. Practitioner beliefs about the importance of cross‐functional collaboration and building collaborator rapport across projects reflected organizational enablements that facilitated collaborations with these qualities. Conclusions: Students' beliefs about appropriate academic collaboration practices did not translate to professional contexts. Instructors can prepare students for work by strategically easing collaboration constraints to allow for more diverse collaboration experiences. Work mentors should explain the collaboration expectations of their workplaces to facilitate new hire socialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Journal of Engineering Education is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Engineering Source |
|
Full text is not displayed to guests.
Login for full access.
|
|
| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Text: Availability: 1 |
|---|---|
| Header | DbId: egs DbLabel: Engineering Source An: 184801325 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
| IllustrationInfo | |
| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Collaboration rules: A narrative comparison of engineering students and practicing engineers' collaboration experiences and beliefs using structuration theory. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Loweth%2C+Robert+P%2E%22">Loweth, Robert P.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> rloweth@purdue.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Daly%2C+Shanna+R%2E%22">Daly, Shanna R.</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> srdaly@umich.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Paborsky%2C+Leah%22">Paborsky, Leah</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> paborsky@umich.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Hoffman%2C+Sara+L%2E%22">Hoffman, Sara L.</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> saralhof@umich.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Skerlos%2C+Steven+J%2E%22">Skerlos, Steven J.</searchLink><relatesTo>2,4</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> skerlos@umich.edu</i> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Engineering+Education%22">Journal of Engineering Education</searchLink>. Apr2025, Vol. 114 Issue 2, p1-24. 24p. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Engineering+education%22">Engineering education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Structuration+theory%22">Structuration theory</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+skills%22">Social skills</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teams+in+the+workplace%22">Teams in the workplace</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cooperation%22">Cooperation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+systems%22">Social systems</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Training+of+engineers%22">Training of engineers</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Background: Collaboration—including coordination, communication, and teamwork—is crucial to engineering practice. However, engineering students are often perceived as lacking key collaboration skills at the time of graduation. Purpose: We used structuration theory to explore how differences between students and practitioners' collaboration beliefs related to differences between academic and professional collaboration contexts. We sought to demonstrate that the perceived collaboration "skill gap" in engineering students can be explained by differences between academic and professional social systems. Methods: We conducted interviews with 30 undergraduate engineering students and 28 practicing engineers, and from these interviews produced 98 discrete narratives of participants' collaboration experiences. We thematically analyzed these 98 collaboration narratives to identify student and practitioner collaboration beliefs. We further coded four narratives for organizational enablements and constraints to show how differences in student and practitioner collaboration beliefs related to differences in organizational collaboration "rules." Findings: Students described boosting productivity through teamwork and limiting social bonding with teammates. These beliefs represented reasonable approaches to collaboration given observed organizational constraints including short project durations, single‐discipline teams, and an inability to choose teammates. Practitioner beliefs about the importance of cross‐functional collaboration and building collaborator rapport across projects reflected organizational enablements that facilitated collaborations with these qualities. Conclusions: Students' beliefs about appropriate academic collaboration practices did not translate to professional contexts. Instructors can prepare students for work by strategically easing collaboration constraints to allow for more diverse collaboration experiences. Work mentors should explain the collaboration expectations of their workplaces to facilitate new hire socialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Engineering Education is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=egs&AN=184801325 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1002/jee.70002 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 24 StartPage: 1 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Engineering education Type: general – SubjectFull: Structuration theory Type: general – SubjectFull: Social skills Type: general – SubjectFull: Teams in the workplace Type: general – SubjectFull: Cooperation Type: general – SubjectFull: Social systems Type: general – SubjectFull: Training of engineers Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Collaboration rules: A narrative comparison of engineering students and practicing engineers' collaboration experiences and beliefs using structuration theory. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Loweth, Robert P. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Daly, Shanna R. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Paborsky, Leah – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Hoffman, Sara L. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Skerlos, Steven J. IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 04 Text: Apr2025 Type: published Y: 2025 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 10694730 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 114 – Type: issue Value: 2 Titles: – TitleFull: Journal of Engineering Education Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
