A Reflective Essay: Lessons from Two Engineering Education Qualitative Research Dissertations

Yi Cao; Andrea L. Schuman

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Conference: 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Publication Date: June 22, 2025
Start Date: June 22, 2025
End Date: August 15, 2025
Conference Session: Engineering Education Methods and Reflections
Tagged Division: Student Division (STDT)
Page Count: 11
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--55385
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/55385
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Paper Authors

biography

Yi Cao Virginia Tech

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CAO Yi is a PhD candidate at the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech with the guidance of Dr. Jennifer Case. She is also a research associate at the International Center for Higher Education Innovation(ICHEI), a UNESCO Category 2 Center

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biography

Andrea L. Schuman California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

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Andrea Schuman is an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Engineering at Cal Poly. She holds a Ph.D. in Engineering Education and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech, and a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma. Her research interests include experiential teaching and learning in ECE and global engineering.

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Abstract

Contemporary engineering problems are becoming more complex, requiring technical engineering knowledge and incorporating human and social science factors. There is a corresponding increasing level of attention to engineering education research. Students in engineering education Ph.D. programs with technical engineering backgrounds need a transition from quantitative research training to qualitative research practice. Some practical reflections on engineering education qualitative research dissertations can be helpful for new engineering education researchers who may not have mentors in their department as they transition from engineering students to engineering education researchers.

This study uses two qualitative engineering education dissertations as case studies to summarize valuable practical approaches with new engineering education researchers as the intended audience. It is based on the reflections of two engineering education candidates who offer concrete examples of working with interview data through two qualitative analysis methods. The co-authors used qualitative interview data for their dissertations. Case Study A uses a narrative analysis method, while Case Study B uses a multi-case study. The narrative analysis helps dive into an individual’s personal experiences while multi-case analysis is suitable for analyzing students’ longitudinal learning. These two analysis methods represent contrasting approaches to understanding student and faculty perceptions in the engineering education area.

This paper does not provide a standard technical lens or rules for analyzing the qualitative interview data. Instead, it aims to excavate detailed reflections that engineering education researchers can refer to as they do qualitative research in engineering education. The authors’ reflections draw on their personal experience of doing qualitative data analysis and strategies to overcome challenges with qualitative data analysis for internal consistency and validity. The findings will not be a specific set of steps for analyzing interview data in engineering education but rather detailed reflections on the experience of analyzing qualitative data based on practical and theoretical challenges. The conclusions may offer mentorship for engineering education students who want to do systematic qualitative research with an engineering education background.

Citation
Format

Cao, Y., & Schuman, A. L. (2025, June), A Reflective Essay: Lessons from Two Engineering Education Qualitative Research Dissertations Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Montreal, Quebec, Canada . 10.18260/1-2--55385

TY - CPAPER
AB - Contemporary engineering problems are becoming more complex, requiring technical engineering knowledge and incorporating human and social science factors. There is a corresponding increasing level of attention to engineering education research. Students in engineering education Ph.D. programs with technical engineering backgrounds need a transition from quantitative research training to qualitative research practice. Some practical reflections on engineering education qualitative research dissertations can be helpful for new engineering education researchers who may not have mentors in their department as they transition from engineering students to engineering education researchers.

This study uses two qualitative engineering education dissertations as case studies to summarize valuable practical approaches with new engineering education researchers as the intended audience. It is based on the reflections of two engineering education candidates who offer concrete examples of working with interview data through two qualitative analysis methods. The co-authors used qualitative interview data for their dissertations. Case Study A uses a narrative analysis method, while Case Study B uses a multi-case study. The narrative analysis helps dive into an individual’s personal experiences while multi-case analysis is suitable for analyzing students’ longitudinal learning. These two analysis methods represent contrasting approaches to understanding student and faculty perceptions in the engineering education area.

This paper does not provide a standard technical lens or rules for analyzing the qualitative interview data. Instead, it aims to excavate detailed reflections that engineering education researchers can refer to as they do qualitative research in engineering education. The authors’ reflections draw on their personal experience of doing qualitative data analysis and strategies to overcome challenges with qualitative data analysis for internal consistency and validity. The findings will not be a specific set of steps for analyzing interview data in engineering education but rather detailed reflections on the experience of analyzing qualitative data based on practical and theoretical challenges. The conclusions may offer mentorship for engineering education students who want to do systematic qualitative research with an engineering education background.

AU - Yi Cao
AU - Andrea L. Schuman
CY - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
DA - 2025/06/22
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - A Reflective Essay: Lessons from Two Engineering Education Qualitative Research Dissertations
UR - https://peer.asee.org/55385
DO - 10.18260/1-2--55385
ER -