Engineering and social responsibility: Challenges and opportunities in high education

Abstract

This study focuses on analyzing university social responsibility in the training of engineers. Engineering students were surveyed and contrasted with social science students to relate higher education with social education. The research was a quantitative and descriptive approach using a non-experimental cross-sectional design. The sample comprised 1023 intentionally selected engineering and social science students. A specific validated scale was applied to assess students' perception of their social responsibility in the university context and ordinary life. The results indicated a medium level of social responsibility with a tendency to be low in the group of university students analyzed. In addition, it was observed that engineering careers should reinforce the social commitment of students.