2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This Empirical Research Paper (Full Paper, 10 pages) investigates the development of perspective-taking abilities in undergraduate students utilizing a case study approach.

Background: The increasing emphasis on preparing graduates for a globalized workforce necessitates the development of intercultural communication skills. Perspective-taking is key to this skill as it allows individuals to consider different people’s viewpoints. While perspective-taking is recognized as crucial for effective human interaction and conflict resolution, there remains a gap in understanding how to effectively teach and assess these skills in higher education settings. The goal of the study is to understand the perspective-taking abilities of undergraduate students and inform curriculum enhancements to help students develop such abilities.

Methods: The study employed a case study approach to analyze reflections from 15 undergraduate students enrolled in an honors course at a large midwestern university. Following the completion of a communication module, students wrote 200-word reflections on their key learnings. A four-point rubric was used to assess these reflections based on three criteria: critical reflection, perspective shift, and application of new perspectives. The rubric scores were then used to divide the students into three groups: emerging, proficient, and competent perspective-takers, and thematic analysis was conducted to identify patterns within each group’s reflections.

Results: Analysis revealed distinct characteristics among the three groups of perspective-takers. Competent perspective-takers demonstrated a sophisticated understanding of contextual factors and provided specific strategies for communication improvement. Proficient perspective-takers showed awareness of intent versus impact but struggled with practical application. Emerging perspective-takers recognized basic communication strategies but had difficulty challenging their assumptions and implementing perspective-taking concepts effectively.

Implications: The findings emphasize that critical self-reflection is fundamental to developing perspective-taking abilities in STEM education. The study reveals that even students with strong theoretical understanding often struggle to identify specific applications, suggesting curriculum design should focus on bridging this theory-practice gap through concrete implementation strategies. These insights point to the need for restructuring perspective-taking education to emphasize practical application alongside conceptual learning.