Learning from the experiences of Navajo engineers: Looking toward the development of a culturally responsive engineering curriculum

Abstract

Background Diverse perspectives, including those of Native Americans, are needed to drive innovation in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Tribes such as the Navajo Nation are seeking to strengthen their communities, create economic opportunities, and improve the lives of their peoples by encouraging members of their tribe to become engineers. Research investigating how Navajo engineers experience and understand engineering design and practice in the context of their culture and community can provide insight into how to engage Navajo students in pathways to careers in STEM. Purpose/Hypothesis The purpose of the study was to identify and investigate the ways in which Navajo engineers experience, understand, and apply engineering design and practice in the context of their culture and community. Design/Method A phenomenographic approach was used to explore the ways that Navajo engineers experience and understand the phenomena of engineering design and practice in the context of their culture and community. A total of 20 Navajo engineers were interviewed for this study. Results Four qualitatively distinct lenses on how Navajo engineers experience and understand engineering design and practice embedded in the culture of the Navajo community were identified as (a) Navajo‐centered behavior, (b) Navajo‐centered purpose, (c) Navajo‐centered strategy, and (d) Navajo‐centered application. Conclusions The results of the study provide a deeper understanding of how Navajo engineers experience similarities and differences between Navajo culture and engineering design and practice, and provide a foundation for the development of culturally responsive engineering design curricula for classrooms in the Navajo Nation.

Positionality Statements in Engineering Education Research: A Look at the Hand that Guides the Methodological Tools

“…This positionality statement was found in JEE in a manuscript by Jordan et al (2019). This statement highlighted how the researchers integrated themselves into inquiry while managing quality considerations.…”

“…In their study, the authors sought to understand the experiences Navajo engineers had with practically applying engineering design in the Navajo community. Jordan et al (2019) took a direct approach to integrating their positionalities into the manuscript by not only placing the statement near the beginning of the text, but making the statement a main-headed section. This detail may seem small; however, we contended this stylistic choice communicates a priority on helping the reader understand how the researchers were motivated to conduct the study, how they worked with (and not for) the community, and how methodological choices were made to ensure research quality.…”

“…This detail may seem small; however, we contended this stylistic choice communicates a priority on helping the reader understand how the researchers were motivated to conduct the study, how they worked with (and not for) the community, and how methodological choices were made to ensure research quality. Although positionality statements were most often placed in the methods section, Jordan et al (2019) chose to present their transparency at the earliest opportunity. They began their statement by grounding its necessity in the literature:…”

“…In this case, the opportunity was for the researcher to benefit their home community. This was highlighted in the subsequent paragraph in Jordan et al's (2019) statement; for example, Betoney was driven to conduct the research because she saw many engineering parallels with the needs of her Navajo community, and she sought to guide and innovate how young Navajo people view this opportunity, no matter the difficulties they face in their lives (p. 357).…”

Closing the loop to shift the default: How alternative ways of knowing can inform research and pedagogical practice

“…It is critical that engineering and engineering education incorporate inclusive practices into our classrooms as well as the research that is being conducted on student experience. One example is the work by Jordan and Foster () in this issue of JEE , “Learning from the Experiences of Navajo Engineers: Looking Towards the Development of a Cross‐cultural Engineering Curriculum,” which makes explicit the need for careful consideration of how culture informs engineering design and practice. The research is clearly moving in the direction of being more inclusive and of considering the experiences of those who have traditionally been marginalized.…”