Writing Performance: A Comparison Between Engineering and Engineering Technology Students

Journal of Engineering Technology, Spring 2005 by Flory, Isaac L IV, Kauffmann, Paul, Holt, Michael, Lewis, Vernon W Jr

Abstract

Writing performance is a critical workplace skill for engineering and engineering technology students. To examine how well students develop this critical skill, this paper statistically analyzes the performance of these two groups of students on an exit writing examination. It compares the pass rates within engineering and engineering technology majors including civil, electrical, mechanical, and computer (engineering only). Secondly, it evaluates factors that may influence pass rates such as skills in English as a second language (ESL) and transfer status. The study shows that while there is an empirical difference in the performance between engineering and engineering technology students on an undergraduate Exit Examination of Writing Proficiency, this difference is not statistically significant. Concerning factors that may influence pass rates, ESL status had a highly negative influence and transfer student status had a positive influence. The paper identifies areas for additional study and proposes approaches to address these research questions.

Introduction

Academicians and industry practitioners have discussed broadly the critical importance of the need for engineering and engineering technology (E&T) students to write proficiently in the workplace. A typical example is the 1997 report by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) that found industry leaders were not satisfied with the ability of new hires to communicate by means of written reports and technical specifications.1 Similarly, Katz surveyed practicing engineering managers from a range of career areas (industry, consulting, and government) and found a consistent theme that graduates are not prepared for the written and oral communication needs required by the workplace.2 In yet another example, Black supported these findings from a workplace skill perspective, rating verbal and written communication among the most important job skills, second only to technical knowledge.3

It has been noted that the development of writing skills ideally should be oriented toward a particular discipline. For example, Kurfis found that it is particularly important in scientific and technical fields that writing be discipline specific.4 Boyd and Hassett extended this concept to develop a specific writing system for engineering and engineering technology (ET) students.5

Scientific and technical writing may also play a fundamental role in the education process by actively promoting learning. As an example, Randolph studied the learning impact of writing and communication, and improved learning by using a teaching methodology based on "Writing Across the Curriculum," a concept that views writing as a tool for students to draw meaning out of experience.6,7 "Writing Across the Curriculum" is a routinely implemented method of refining a student's written communication skills by increasing the quantity of written work. This increased writing requirement extends beyond an English department's curriculum to other colleges and departments within the learning institution.

This body of literature on the importance of writing skills in the technical workplace, the necessity of discipline-specific writing instruction for scientific fields, and the general impact of writing as a tool for learning all illustrate the need for developing writing skill as an essential foundation for engineering and ET careers. However, there is a critical item missing in these research papers. Specifically, there is a lack of quantitative and comparative studies that provide specific measures of the writing performance of engineering and ET graduates. Such numerical studies can identify important insights to direct more detailed research into the specific issues related to improving the writing proficiency of E&T students.

This paper contributes to the quantitative literature on writing performance by analyzing five years of exit writing examination pass rate data for graduating E&T seniors. The study specifically examines three questions. The first question concentrates on the performance of E&T students as a group (in various engineering and ET majors) in successfully passing the exit writing examination:

1. Do the pass rates of E&T students vary within the two disciplines? Specifically, are there statistical differences in pass rates between E&T majors?

The next two questions examine demographics that may identify factors influencing writing examination performance:

2. Domestic E&T programs attract a significant number of students for whom English is a second language, and some disciplines such as electronics may attract an even higher proportion. How does ESL status impact writing examination pass rates of E&T majors?

3. E&T programs attract a large number of transfer students who may have completed their first two years at a community college. Do E&T transfer students have a pass rate that is statistically different from non-transfer students?

To provide context for the data analysis portion of this paper, the next section discusses the exit writing examination, the university that administered it, and the composition of the general student body.