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A Qualitative Methods Primer: A Resource to Assist Engineering Education Scholars in Mentoring Traditionally Trained Engineering Faculty to Educational Research

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Conference

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Baltimore , Maryland

Publication Date

June 25, 2023

Start Date

June 25, 2023

End Date

June 28, 2023

Conference Session

Research Methodologies – Session 1

Tagged Division

Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM)

Page Count

16

DOI

10.18260/1-2--42481

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/42481

Download Count

162

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Paper Authors

biography

Matthew Bahnson Pennsylvania State University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-0134-0125

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Matthew Bahnson a postdoctoral research scholar in engineering education with the Engineering Cognitive Research Laboratory with Dr. Catherin Berdanier at Pennsylvania State University. He completed his Ph.D. in the Applied Social and Community Psychology program in at North Carolina State University. His previous training includes a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Northern Iowa and an M.A. in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago. Matthew’s research focuses on postdoctoral mentorship experiences in engineering and computer science and sociocultural inequality in engineering graduate education with the intention of increasing diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in STEM graduate education. Matthew has published in the leading engineering education journals: Journal of Engineering Education; Studies in Engineering Education; and International Journal of Engineering Education. His conference participation includes coordinating engineering education sessions at the leading education conference: American Educational Researcher Association (AERA) in 2022 and 2023; paper presentations at American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE), The Collaborative Network for Engineering and Computing Diversity (CoNECD), Frontiers in Education (FIE), as well as major psychological conferences.

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Catherine G. P. Berdanier Pennsylvania State University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0003-3271-4836

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Catherine G.P. Berdanier is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Pennsylvania State University. She earned her B.S. in Chemistry from The University of South Dakota, her M.S. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering and her PhD in Engineering Education from Purdue University. Her research expertise lies in characterizing graduate-level attrition, persistence, and career trajectories; engineering writing and communication; and methodological development.

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Abstract

This research methods full paper presents a primer on qualitative analysis methods intended to be a resource for experienced qualitative engineering education researchers to communicate the basics of qualitative research methods to traditionally-trained technical engineering faculty embarking on educational research initiatives. The recognition and growth of engineering education has drawn new researchers to the field—for example, in National Science Foundation Research Initiation in Engineering Formation (RIEF) grants, and CAREER Broader Impacts and Educational Plan activities—which require traditionally-trained faculty to develop engineering education research skills. Reflecting this shift, the number of qualitative research articles in engineering education reflects the increase in interest in qualitative methods and the need for introductory material for pivoting researchers. It has been the norm for engineering education researchers to partner with emergent and pivoting engineering faculty members to mentor them through this transition, but the process is often time- and resource-intensive. To meet this need, we have developed this primer on qualitative research methods that can be employed as an overview reading for traditional engineering faculty to orient them in early qualitative methods conversations. This paper provides an overview and comparison of three common qualitative analysis methods: content analysis, thematic analysis, and grounded theory. For each analysis method, the manuscript provides a basic definition, historical contexts, common assumptions in the application, strengths and weaknesses, examples from engineering education, and additional resources. These three methods are discussed as commonly employed methods with common misunderstandings and misapplications that are often confusing for emergent engineering education researchers. Armed with an understanding of the similarities and differences in these methodological traditions, readers of the primer will be equipped to choose and evaluate their own qualitative methods and will be able to engage in future conversations about these more advanced and specialized qualitative methods (e.g., narrative inquiry, phenomenography/phenomenology, ethnography) in the future. The paper will provide a resource for emergent qualitative engineering education researchers to assist them in identifying their intended analysis techniques and can serve as a starting point for discussions with potential collaborators.

Bahnson, M., & Berdanier, C. G. P. (2023, June), A Qualitative Methods Primer: A Resource to Assist Engineering Education Scholars in Mentoring Traditionally Trained Engineering Faculty to Educational Research Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--42481

ASEE holds the copyright on this document. It may be read by the public free of charge. Authors may archive their work on personal websites or in institutional repositories with the following citation: © 2023 American Society for Engineering Education. Other scholars may excerpt or quote from these materials with the same citation. When excerpting or quoting from Conference Proceedings, authors should, in addition to noting the ASEE copyright, list all the original authors and their institutions and name the host city of the conference. - Last updated April 1, 2015