Exploring Psychological Safety as a Dimension of Relatedness in Engineering Student Teams

• In Event: Equity, Identity, and Inclusivity in STEM and Engineering Education: Exploring Cultural Practices, Team Dynamics, and Systemic Barriers

Abstract

Engineering students often work in teams to prepare for industry. Within Self-Determination Theory (e.g., Ryan & Deci, 2020), individuals' well-being in classrooms is predicted by whether their psychological needs of competence, autonomy, and relatedness are met. To understand how students' need for relatedness develops, we put this construct in conversation with an emerging construct from I/O psychology: psychological safety. Characterized as a willingness to take risks, learn from others, and dissent within team settings, psychological safety may be useful to instructors aiming to ensure the teamwork they assign is inclusive. We conducted surveys across the semester to capture students' experiences of psychological safety, and interviews about whether and how psychological safety developed, and its relation to the need for relatedness.

Authors

• Paul K.J. Chung, Iowa State University

• Alyssa Emery, Iowa State University