The Effects of Group Size on the Experiences of First-Year Engineering Students in Mixed Gender Groups

Koenraad E Gieskes; Ioana Elena Tiu

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Conference: 2025 Collaborative Network for Engineering & Computing Diversity (CoNECD)
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Publication Date: February 9, 2025
Start Date: February 9, 2025
End Date: February 11, 2025
Conference Session: Track 1: Technical Session 4: The Effects of Group Size on the Experiences of First-Year Engineering Students in Mixed Gender Groups
Tagged Topics: Diversity and 2025 CoNECD Paper Submissions
Page Count: 15
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/54118
Download Count: 6

Paper Authors

biography

Koenraad E Gieskes State University of New York at Binghamton orcid.org/0000-0002-9527-8712

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Koen Gieskes first joined the Engineering Design Division at Binghamton University as a graduate student in 2004, then, in 2009, he was hired on as a full-time lecturer, and in 2017 he became the Assistant Director. Koen has in the past served the ASEE St. Lawrence Section as webmaster, vice chair, and is currently serving as the section chair.

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biography

Ioana Elena Tiu State University of New York at Binghamton

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I, Ioana Tiu, am a sophomore at Binghamton University studying biomedical engineering and I am currently an undergraduate assistant in the freshman engineering course. I have always had a passion for academia and started participating in research during my freshman year of college. I also continued to partake in research over the summer at Gates Vascular Institute in Buffalo, NY. During this great opportunity, I studied the effects of aneurysms on rats and mainly worked on a code that would be able to measure the size of the aneurysm and in what direction it grew over the course of a year or more.
In the year 2022, I was given a chance to run my own research. I have always been passionate about encouraging more women to participate in STEM fields, specifically engineering. I decided to see if there was an effect on how girls succeeded in their engineering classes given the ratio of women to men in their specific groups. For this initial project I mainly focused on the freshman engineering course since it was heavy on projects, but in the future, I hope to collect more data including higher-level classes with increased difficulty.

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Abstract

Recognizing the importance of collaborative learning in engineering education, this research seeks to understand how different group sizes and the gender ratio within the groups influence group dynamics, communication, inclusiveness, and overall student satisfaction. By examining the experiences and perceptions of first year engineering students in mixed gender groups, this study investigates the complexities of group interactions. Understanding how dynamics shift with gender ratio and group size can help form strategies to improve educational outcomes and ensure a supportive learning environment for all students, emphasizing the critical role of group composition in academic settings. This study investigates the effects of group size and gender composition on the experiences of first-year engineering students in mixed-gender project groups. Conducted at a research-intensive university where students completed multiple projects throughout their first year. During their fall semester, students were assigned to medium-sized groups (3-5 students) and completed both a reverse engineering project and an Arduino-based design project. In the spring semester, students completed a semester-long conceptual engineering design project in large teams (5 – 7 students) and spent a few weeks of the semester assigned to small sub-teams of 2-3 students. Data was collected through a single comprehensive survey distributed following the completion of their first-year program which measured several important aspects such as group gender composition, member comfort, communication effectiveness, collaboration, respect, and project success. During the semester’s four-students and six-student group assignments, the female-to-male ratio appeared to influence female students’ perceptions. In larger groups, the gender ratio had a more pronounced impact on communication dynamics and group interactions compared to the two-student groups surveyed during the spring semester. In smaller groups, individual personalities and interpersonal dynamics was more evident, reducing the effects of gender ratios. Alternatively, in larger groups, gender ratios exhibit a more visible correlation with students’ perceptions and experiences. The study suggests that while gender ratios have a minimal effect on smaller groups, they play a more significant role in shaping the dynamics and perceptions within larger group settings. This study examines the connections between groups size, gender composition, and the overall experiences of first-year engineering students in collaborative learning environments. By exploring how these factors influence dynamics, communication, and perception, this research provides valuable insight to the education system. Ultimately, fostering inclusive and supportive group settings is crucial for enhancing students’ engagement, academic success, and cultivating the next generation of diverse and talented engineers.

Citation
Format

Gieskes, K. E., & Tiu, I. E. (2025, February), The Effects of Group Size on the Experiences of First-Year Engineering Students in Mixed Gender Groups Paper presented at 2025 Collaborative Network for Engineering & Computing Diversity (CoNECD), San Antonio, Texas. https://peer.asee.org/54118

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Recognizing the importance of collaborative learning in engineering education, this research seeks to understand how different group sizes and the gender ratio within the groups influence group dynamics, communication, inclusiveness, and overall student satisfaction. By examining the experiences and perceptions of first year engineering students in mixed gender groups, this study investigates the complexities of group interactions. Understanding how dynamics shift with gender ratio and group size can help form strategies to improve educational outcomes and ensure a supportive learning environment for all students, emphasizing the critical role of group composition in academic settings.  
This study investigates the effects of group size and gender composition on the experiences of first-year engineering students in mixed-gender project groups. Conducted at a research-intensive university where students completed multiple projects throughout their first year. During their fall semester, students were assigned to medium-sized groups (3-5 students) and completed both a reverse engineering project and an Arduino-based design project. In the spring semester, students completed a semester-long conceptual engineering design project in large teams (5 – 7 students) and spent a few weeks of the semester assigned to small sub-teams of 2-3 students. Data was collected through a single comprehensive survey distributed following the completion of their first-year program which measured several important aspects such as group gender composition, member comfort, communication effectiveness, collaboration, respect, and project success.
During the semester’s four-students and six-student group assignments, the female-to-male ratio appeared to influence female students’ perceptions. In larger groups, the gender ratio had a more pronounced impact on communication dynamics and group interactions compared to the two-student groups surveyed during the spring semester. In smaller groups, individual personalities and interpersonal dynamics was more evident, reducing the effects of gender ratios. Alternatively, in larger groups, gender ratios exhibit a more visible correlation with students’ perceptions and experiences. The study suggests that while gender ratios have a minimal effect on smaller groups, they play a more significant role in shaping the dynamics and perceptions within larger group settings. 
This study examines the connections between groups size, gender composition, and the overall experiences of first-year engineering students in collaborative learning environments. By exploring how these factors influence dynamics, communication, and perception, this research provides valuable insight to the education system. Ultimately, fostering inclusive and supportive group settings is crucial for enhancing students’ engagement, academic success, and cultivating the next generation of diverse and talented engineers. 

AU  - Koenraad E Gieskes
AU  - Ioana Elena Tiu
CY  - San Antonio, Texas
DA  - 2025/02/09
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - The Effects of Group Size on the Experiences of First-Year Engineering Students in Mixed Gender Groups
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/54118
ER  -