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

Broadening participation in engineering has been part of the engineering education research agenda for years. We argue that if we can understand the traits of the different dimensions of culture in engineering, we can identify potential solutions to broaden participation. In this study, we are comparing how engineering students from Ecuador and the United States characterize their culture orientation based on Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory. Data were collected with engineering students at major polytechnic universities in Ecuador and the United States. The survey was translated into Spanish for the Ecuadorian data and was reviewed by several native Spanish speakers. Results provide preliminary information on how students perceive aspects of culture like uncertainty avoidance, individualism, power distance, and masculinity. We discuss the relationship of these constructs with aspects of the engineering program. Implications for research and practice are provided.