In a sample of 323 engineering students, structural equation modeling was used to test hypothesized relationships between beliefs about the nature of knowledge in science, beliefs about the process of justification for knowing in science, and argumentative reasoning about an ill-structured social-scientific issue. Beliefs about justification for…

This article is part of a longitudinal study on academic sense of belonging (SB) in engineering, which uses narrative analysis to examine development of meaning-making systems (MMS). Featuring narratives of three students of color, findings show that over time, some students experienced subject-object shifts in their perceptions of SB, as well as…

Mathematical modelling is an interlinking process between mathematics and real-world problems that can be applied as a means to increase motivation, develop cognitive competencies, and enhance the ability to transfer mathematical knowledge to other areas of science, such as engineering disciplines. This study was designed to investigate the effect…

This research study explored the systematic thinking modes underlying test anxiety in 706 engineering students through an experiment centred on the cognitive algebra paradigm. The participants had to read 36 experimental scenarios that narrated an imaginary academic assessment situation one by one and then judge the level of anxiety they…

The bourbon production engineering course offers a comprehensive overview of chemical engineering to non-engineers. It emphasizes chemical engineering concepts such as material balances and mass transfer, making these concepts accessible and engaging. Students learn through targeted lessons on each unit operation and practical examples from grain…

Background: Undergraduate engineering students report increased rates of mental health distress. Evidence suggests that these students experience high stress, which can perpetuate mental health challenges. Further, engineering students may engage in help-seeking and self-care activities more rarely than students in other disciplines. We…

Background: Engineering students experience high levels of distress and low rates of mental health treatment seeking, yet there is a gap in knowledge around how this compares with that of students in other fields of study. Given the influence of social identity (e.g., gender identity, race/ethnicity) on mental health and treatment seeking, it is…

This research investigated how middle school science teachers integrated engineering into their planned science instruction and the extent to which they conceptually linked science to engineering following participation in a professional development program. Video recordings of six teachers' classroom implementation of teacher-designed units were…

Integrating hands-on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education with a focus on the engineering design process into elementary school curricula has been associated with positive outcomes, including enhanced student understanding and increased interest in the topics. Here, we evaluated third grade student interest and perceived…

This study aims at elaborating a well-established theoretical framework that distinguishes three modes of thinking in linear algebra: the analytic-arithmetic, the synthetic-geometric, and the analytic-structural mode. It describes and analyzes the bundle of signs produced by an engineering student during an interview, where she was asked to recall…

Background: Collaboration--including coordination, communication, and teamwork--is crucial to engineering practice. However, engineering students are often perceived as lacking key collaboration skills at the time of graduation. Purpose: We used structuration theory to explore how differences between students and practitioners' collaboration…

Background: Despite ongoing efforts to broaden the participation of Black males in engineering, historical data point to a stagnation in their engineering bachelor's degree attainment. Furthermore, the relative dearth of literature that centers the voices of Black male engineering students has limited the propagation of positive change in…

Background/purpose: Teaching complex concepts in STEM areas has led education researchers to innovate in teaching models. In this report, we present a study of engineering teaching on the geotechnical structure of Mexico City, which is characterized by highly compressible clayey soils and significant seismic activity, which, for the discipline,…

Contemporary literature in engineering education calls for focused efforts towards revitalizing the curriculum, pedagogic practice, and assessments. Creating multidisciplinary, experiential learning opportunities through a biomimicry module offers authentic and situated experiences for designing sustainable solutions inspired by and in harmony…

Collaborative learning plays an instrumental role in productive engineering design, during which students employ multiple communication channels simultaneously to co-construct and negotiate ideas. However, existing literature on the design process mostly focused on students' verbal discussion, overlooking hand gestures during design discourses.…