Abstract
Engineering study abroad programs are a novel setting for students to develop systems thinking, which has primarily been taught in formal learning environments. Through a situated learning perspective, we examined the impact of two engineering-focused study abroad experiences on developing students’ systems thinking skills. We conducted secondary data analysis to examine how first-year engineering students (n = 47) at a technical university in the United States (US) connect technical and contextual aspects of engineering in China and the UK/Ireland. The students on the China track drew connections more frequently (81% of excerpts) than those on the UK/Ireland track (49% of excerpts). Students interpreted these connections at the macrosystems level, microsystems level, personal level, and career level. Our study offers a theoretical contribution to the systems thinking framework by offering nuance to the connections students drew between contextual and technical engineering dimensions, while showing that systems thinking can be an important outcome for engineering study abroad programs.
Keywords
Systems thinking; study abroad; qualitative research; secondary data analysis
Date of this Version
11-20-2024
Published in:
Özkan, D. S., Davis, K. A., Davis, J. C., Deters, J., & Murzi, H. (2025). Fostering systems thinking through engineering study abroad programs. European Journal of Engineering Education, 50(4), 829–854. https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2024.2434168
Comments
This is the publisher PDF of Özkan, D. S., Davis, K. A., Davis, J. C., Deters, J., & Murzi, H. (2025). Fostering systems thinking through engineering study abroad programs. European Journal of Engineering Education, 50(4), 829–854. Published CC-BY by Taylor & Francis, the version of record and ADA Title II compliant version is available in HTML at DOI: 10.1080/03043797.2024.2434168.