Making the Familiar Strange: An Ethnographic Scholarship of Integration Contextualizing Engineering Educational Culture as Masculine and Competitive

Secules, Stephen

doi:10.1080/19378629.2019.1663200

Cited by 60 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…In formulating a conference paper on the topic (Secules & Groen‐McCall, 2019), they drew on traditions within their respective disciplinary trainings: ethnography for Secules and grounded theory for McCall. These methodological traditions both leverage positionality and researcher‐as‐instrument to understand the impact of one's self on the research (Creswell & Creswell, 2018), of “making the familiar strange” or identifying the aspects of everyday life that are noteworthy for scholarly attention (Secules, 2019), and of naming and organizing those findings into an organization of knowledge or guiding theory. This initial process could hence be thought of as an autoethnographic grounded theory exploration of Secules' and McCall's personal experiences of researcher positionality.…”

Section: Research Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

Positionality practices and dimensions of impact on equity research: A collaborative inquiry and call to the community

Secules

McCall

Mejia

et al. 2021

J of Engineering Edu

Self Cite

236

121

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Background Many engineering education researchers acknowledge that their positionality impacts their research. Practices for reporting positionality vary widely and rarely incorporate a nuanced discussion of the impact of demographic identities on research. Researchers holding marginalized or relatively hidden identities must navigate additional layers regarding transparency of their positionality. Purpose We identify ways in which positionality impacts research, with a particular emphasis on demographic identity dimensions. We note that whether identities are relatively marginalized, privileged, hidden, or apparent in a research context creates complexities for conceptualizing, practicing, and disclosing one's positionality. Method In a collaborative inquiry informed by autoethnography, we assemble positionality reflections of current engineering education researchers to demonstrate the primary ways in which positionality impacts research. Results We find that positionality impacts six fundamental aspects of research: research topic, epistemology, ontology, methodology, relation to participants, and communication. These aspects of research delve deeper than conceptions of positionality as a methodological limitation, a measure to prevent bias, or a requirement for research quality. Conclusion The impact of positionality on research is complex, particularly when researchers occupy minoritized identities and for research topics that interrogate power relations between identity groups. By demonstrating the practices of interrogating and representing positionality, we hope to encourage more researchers to represent positionality transparently, thus making researchers' transparency safer for all. We argue that positionality is an important tool for reflecting on and dislocating privilege, particularly when working on equity research.

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Section: Research Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

Positionality practices and dimensions of impact on equity research: A collaborative inquiry and call to the community

Secules

McCall

Mejia

et al. 2021

J of Engineering Edu

Self Cite

236

121

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In this case, the historical context we seek is for theoretical frameworks related to equity and culture in engineering education. The tradition of historicizing the past to contextualize the present has been used in engineering education (Secules, 2019) and science education (Kirchgasler, 2015). The tradition of historicizing particularly situates present day circumstances within a broader critical historical and cultural context to more precisely represent present-day circumstances.…”

Section: Methodological Approach and Paper Organizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to recognizing how engineering's pragmatic nature influences engineering education, we call attention to the history of social exclusion and the privileging of certain demographic groups in the engineering profession (Secules, 2019;Slaton, 2010). We believe that engineering education has an ethical imperative to contend with this history, to call attention to it, and to find ways to shift engineering to provide greater access and representation for marginalized groups.…”

Section: Theory In Research On Culture and Marginalizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contextualizing the Past to Guide the Future: Situating Three Critical Theoretical Frameworks for Educational Culture

Secules

Mejia

2021

Studies in Engineering Education

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Background:The engineering education research community has increasingly acknowledged the importance of addressing equity and inclusion. Qualitative research approaches have a unique power to reform classroom practice, create empathy for students, understand context, and point towards new paradigms and solutions. In our work, we have found critical social theories provide useful ways of looking at, critiquing, and reimagining inequitable educational settings. However, many scholars theory in a limited way with theory, treating it as a utilitarian choice rather than requiring deep engagement. Without careful consideration of the situated historical context for a theory's origin, we can distort its original purpose. Purpose: This paper highlights funds of knowledge, cultural production, and cultural construction as three prominent theoretical frameworks for educational culture. Following the methodological approach of historicizing, we recontextualize the present use of the theoretical frameworks by better understanding their historical context. Scope: We introduce each of the three frameworks and present an account of the history of the origins of the frameworks, emphasizing the context within which the originators found themselves and what problems they saw themselves as addressing. Next, we discuss how it is currently being leveraged in US engineering education or related fields, noting perceived problems or patterns related to the application of theory. Finally, we consider the differences between the past and the present contexts to help guide future use of the framework, noting what lessons we can take away from the past that speak to issues in the present. Conclusion:We compare the nuanced differences between the frameworks and call on readers to make a more careful and less casual choice regarding theory. We also note the importance of considering historicity, situatedness, and reflexivity when deeply engaging with research on educational culture and critical theoretical approaches.

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“…Men are demographically overrepresented across most engineering programs, which is an underlying motivation for research on gender experiences in the field. It is not surprising, then, that in addition to being demographically dominated by men, engineering is also culturally dominated by men and hegemonic masculinity (Cech, 2007;Godfrey, 2007;Male et al, 2018;Riley, 2008;Riley et al, 2009;Robinson & McIlwee, 1991;Secules, 2019;Silbey, 2016). The enculturation of students to the engineering profession and within the particular culture of masculinity is done through professional socialization, where students eventually adopt the professional values, norms and epistemologies towards the end of forming their professional identity as engineers (Cech, 2014).…”

Section: Gender and Engineering Culturementioning

confidence: 99%

Calling for a Paradigm Shift in the Study of Gender in Engineering Education

Haverkamp

Bothwell

Montfort

et al. 2021

Studies in Engineering Education

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Background: Dominant discourse regarding gender in engineering and engineering education relies on simplistic notions of gender as a rigid binary, which obscures the existence of transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) people and the gender dynamics they experience. Purpose: This paper seeks to address the limits of the dominant gender discourse and research paradigm and propose new paths forward. This article calls researchers to intentionally transform their approach and framing of gender to create gender equity for all. Scope: An examination of existing literature in engineering education is put against prevailing theories of gender and human difference from across academia. The overwhelming majority of literature in the field exists within a reductive gender binary. TGNC students and professionals are largely invisible in engineering education research and theory and this exclusion causes harm to individuals as well as our community as a whole. Such exclusion is not limited to engineering contexts but is found to be a central component of systemic TGNC marginalization in higher education and in the United States. Discussion: We call for a substantive disciplinary shift towards studying the deep complexity of gender informed by, and accountable to, literature on gender theory, queer studies, and feminist research methodology. We propose interventions for engineering education researchers categorized into three levels: 1) Microto recognize gender diversity in engineering education; 2) Meso-to describe and analyze the experiences of TGNC students in research; and 3) Macro-to transform our discipline's conceptualization and theoretical framing of gender.

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Making the Familiar Strange: An Ethnographic Scholarship of Integration Contextualizing Engineering Educational Culture as Masculine and Competitive

Cited by 60 publications

References 40 publications

Positionality practices and dimensions of impact on equity research: A collaborative inquiry and call to the community

Positionality practices and dimensions of impact on equity research: A collaborative inquiry and call to the community

Contextualizing the Past to Guide the Future: Situating Three Critical Theoretical Frameworks for Educational Culture

Calling for a Paradigm Shift in the Study of Gender in Engineering Education

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