A Framework For Investigating The Application Of Educational Theories In Engineering Education Research

Authors

Vivian VAN DER WERF, Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Centre for Education and Learning, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands;Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science, Leiden University, The NetherlandsFollow
Gitte VAN HELDEN, Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Centre for Education and Learning, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands;Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands;4TU Centre for Engineering Education, Delft University of Technology, The NetherlandsFollow
Johannes SCHLEISS, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, GermanyFollow
Gillian N. SAUNDERS-SMITS, Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime, and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, The NetherlandsFollow

Document Type

Conference Paper

Abstract

Grounding the design of educational interventions and their analysis in theory allows us to understand and interpret results of interventions and advance educational theories. Moreover, building an understanding of which educational theories are used and how they are used can build a consensus among researchers and mature the research in a field. In this paper, we investigate the extent to which educational theories are used to ground the design, analysis, and evaluation of learning activities in engineering education. For this purpose, we developed a coding instrument to determine: (1) which educational theories are expressed in studies investigating learning activities and interventions, and (2) the extent to which these theories inform (a) the design of an intervention and (b) the analysis of that intervention. The instrument was applied to a sample of 12 studies from an existing literature review on collaborative engineering design activities to demonstrate the relevance of the developed framework. Results reveal that most studies refer to educational theory, primarily pedagogical approaches such as project-based learning. Furthermore, half of the time, the design of learning interventions is grounded in theory, however, the evaluation of those interventions is often not connected to educational theories.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21427/PM7V-MD26

Recommended Citation

van der Werf, V., van Helden, G., Schleiss, J., & Saunders-Smits, G. N. (2023). A Framework For Investigating The Application Of Educational Theories In Engineering Education Research. European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI). DOI: 10.21427/PM7V-MD26

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