With views like this it is not surprising that young people do not consider careers in engineering. CitationTessmer and Richey (1997) explain that ‘context is not the additive influence of discrete entities but rather the simultaneous interaction of a number of mutually influential factors.’ They discuss how contextual elements can be engineered to facilitate learning and performance and how in this sense ‘context is an element that surrounds its members as a continuous presence.’ĬitationAkam (2003) discusses the major decline, in most developed countries, of young people taking up science, engineering and technology subjects in later stages of education and refers to a public poll from some years ago which ‘found Britain’s best known ‘engineer’ was Kevin Webster, the car mechanic from Coronation Street’. The complex nature of education means that no aspect can be considered in isolation investigations in engineering education must consider the whole context. In engineering education research the concept of the context of teaching and learning, where context is defined as ‘the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea’ ( CitationOxford Dictionary, 2010), is one which must be addressed. However, as the primary focus of the research is to understand the engineering education process it therefore cannot be considered in isolation from the practice of teaching and learning and the students involved. (2009), ‘engineering education research is a relatively new field of activity.’ The engineering education research community, whilst consisting of a large number of practitioners in teaching engineering, is primarily concerned with the ‘field of engineering education research, not the practice of educating engineers’ ( CitationBorrego et al., 2009). This overview of the engineering profession shows that a great mix of skills is required in the workplace and that the education of today’s engineers must reflect this.Īs indicated by CitationJesiek et al. Engineers today need to be able to work in ever-changing technological, social and working environments and therefore must be educated with this in mind. The engineering professions have to deal with ‘scientific and technological matters, but increasingly also with economical and political matters as well as with ethical, societal and environmental aspects’ ( CitationMaffioli and Augusti, 2003). Some of the emerging themes are discussed in this paper with consideration for the impact on the teaching of engineering.Įngineering today is more than an academic or technical discipline.
Initial analysis of the data collected during the pilot phase, supported by relevant literature, has been used to identify areas of the learning context which appear to influence students’ approaches to the engineering modules involved in the study. The research is based on an exploratory sequential mixed methods design where the qualitative data is dominant. It is presented as a valuable methodology for adoption by engineering education researchers.
It discusses an ongoing research project which is making use of a mixed methods research platform to investigate the complex nature of students’ perceptions and approaches. This paper builds on existing research which takes a discipline focus to a discussion of the relationships linking quality of learning with generic research into approaches and perceptions of teaching and learning.
It is also essential that we understand how these perceptions influence students’ approaches to their studies. Whilst considering techniques to maximise the retention of engineering students, it is also posited that understanding how students perceive their learning contexts at university is vital. This paper aims to highlight the importance of considering students’ perceptions of and approaches to undergraduate engineering education.
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