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Engineering Students' Perceptions of Problem Solving and Their Future.

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Title: Engineering Students' Perceptions of Problem Solving and Their Future.
Authors: Kirn, Adam1, Benson, Lisa2
Source: Journal of Engineering Education. Jan2018, Vol. 107 Issue 1, p87-112. 26p.
Subject Terms: *Engineering students, *Engineering education, *Problem-based learning, *Effective teaching, *Undergraduates, *Attitude (Psychology)
Abstract: Abstract: Background: Preparing students to solve complex problems is an identified area of need in engineering education. Despite the documented influence of motivation on learning, little research exists that examines how motivation and problem solving in engineering interconnect. Purpose: This study explores how engineering students perceive problem solving tasks, the future, and the connections between the two. Methods: Interviews with engineering students (n = 9) about engineering problems, problem solving processes, their futures, and interactions between their futures and problem solving tasks were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Analysis of the resulting transcripts identified and clustered units of meaning into themes, first by participant and then across participants. Results: Three themes emerged from the IPA: participants perceived engineering as being primarily a problem solving process; participants reported using different problem solving processes depending on how well the task aligned with their future goals; and participants' perceptions of their future drove the problem solving processes they report using. Conclusions: This work supports and extends engineering problem solving literature by making explicit the connections students describe between their problem solving processes and their future‐oriented motivations. Additionally, this work furthers our understanding of how future‐oriented motivations are conceptualized by engineering students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Engineering Education is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: Engineering Students' Perceptions of Problem Solving and Their Future.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Engineering+Education%22">Journal of Engineering Education</searchLink>. Jan2018, Vol. 107 Issue 1, p87-112. 26p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Engineering+students%22">Engineering students</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Engineering+education%22">Engineering education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Problem-based+learning%22">Problem-based learning</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Effective+teaching%22">Effective teaching</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Undergraduates%22">Undergraduates</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Attitude+%28Psychology%29%22">Attitude (Psychology)</searchLink>
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  Data: Abstract: Background: Preparing students to solve complex problems is an identified area of need in engineering education. Despite the documented influence of motivation on learning, little research exists that examines how motivation and problem solving in engineering interconnect. Purpose: This study explores how engineering students perceive problem solving tasks, the future, and the connections between the two. Methods: Interviews with engineering students (<italic>n</italic> = 9) about engineering problems, problem solving processes, their futures, and interactions between their futures and problem solving tasks were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Analysis of the resulting transcripts identified and clustered units of meaning into themes, first by participant and then across participants. Results: Three themes emerged from the IPA: participants perceived engineering as being primarily a problem solving process; participants reported using different problem solving processes depending on how well the task aligned with their future goals; and participants' perceptions of their future drove the problem solving processes they report using. Conclusions: This work supports and extends engineering problem solving literature by making explicit the connections students describe between their problem solving processes and their future‐oriented motivations. Additionally, this work furthers our understanding of how future‐oriented motivations are conceptualized by engineering students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Engineering Education is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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              Text: Jan2018
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