Faculty Beliefs and Orientations to Teaching and Learning in the Lab: An Exploratory Case Study
Abstract
Laboratory education plays a paramount role in the education of engineers and engineer technologists. Laboratories allow students not only to learn essential concepts and principles, but also to develop fundamental skills to solve complex problems, work with complex systems, communicate effectively, work in teams, and reflect on the societal consequences of engineering activities. Also, engineering education labs have benefitted from the use of educational innovations such as the use of project- and problem-based learning approaches. Furthermore, virtual and remote technologies now contribute to the enrichment of the lab activities. However, despite these innovations, prior research indicates that the potential of laboratory education is not often fully explored by engineering and engineering technology educators. Among the main reasons for that situation, research indicates, is the influential role of faculty beliefs on the faculty decision-making processes.This dissertation presents a two-phase multiple case study conducted to investigate the faculty beliefs regarding the integration of labs into engineering and engineering technology education and the relationship between such beliefs and the teaching practices adopted in the labs. In the first phase, an exploratory study grounded on a framework of beliefs was conducted to elicit the beliefs espoused by the participants. Interviews were used to elicit the participants’ beliefs. The transcribed interviews were analyzed through the constant comparative method. Thirteen faculty members from the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology participated. In the second phase, a triangulation approach was used to investigate the relationships between the participants’ beliefs and their corresponding teaching practices. The findings from phase one were triangulated with the data from interviews, questionnaires, and documents to elicit the relationships between beliefs and practices.The results from phase one were arranged in nine different categories of beliefs and five orientations to teaching and learning in the labs. The orientations to teaching and learning in the labs reflected the idealistic beliefs espoused by the participants which could be related to their respective teaching practices. However, phase two revealed that if on the one side, the alignment between beliefs and practices is possible, on the other side, a series of tensions and mediating factors may cause difficulties or even prevent such alignment. Thus, a discussion about these tensions and mediating factors is presented to shed light on how the beliefs, together with the socio-cultural context may affect the teaching and learning processes in the labs. In conclusion, I present the implications of these findings for instruction, policy and professional development programs.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Magana, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Engineering|Curriculum development|Science education
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