Designing and Conducting Research Using an Ethnographic Approach to Identify Pedagogical Practices in Engineering Education

Hye Yeon Lee; Joseph M. LeDoux

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Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM) Technical Session 26
Tagged Division: Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM)
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/47138

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Paper Authors

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Hye Yeon Lee Georgia Institute of Technology orcid.org/0000-0003-2273-0744

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Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology

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Joseph M. LeDoux Georgia Institute of Technology

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Joe Le Doux is the Executive Director for Learning and Training in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. Dr. Le Doux's research interests include narrative and inclusive pedagogies and practices.

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Abstract

This method paper shares how we used an ethnographic approach to identify key pedagogical practices used by instructors who use stories to drive student learning (i.e., story-driven learning) in engineering classrooms. To our knowledge, given that no comprehensive set of pedagogical practices using stories in teaching and learning exists (Author et al., 2023), we used an ethnographic approach to develop a holistic understanding of such instructors’ pedagogical strategies. In this paper, we intend to offer methodological guidance for researchers interested in using ethnographic approaches to study pedagogical approaches in engineering classrooms. Specifically, we describe the steps of our ethnographic approach, ranging from study design and data collection to the analysis and triangulation of multiple sources of data. This work adds to the growing literature on using ethnographic methods in engineering education research (Case & Light, 2011; Godfrey & Parker, 2010; Olds et al., 2005). Our research is part of a larger initiative that promotes story-driven learning as a novel instructional approach in biomedical engineering education. Story-driven learning aims to enable students to reflect on their past life experiences and to envision multiple possible futures. The course we studied, The Art of Telling Your Story, is offered by an engineering department at a large public university in the southeastern United States. Consistent with best practices in ethnographic research (Lofland, 1971), we used multiple sources of data to enhance the robustness of our findings (Carter et al., 2014; Patton, 1999). These included classroom observations, field notes, video recordings of instruction, student-written reflective diaries, one-on-one interviews with students, and pre- and post-course student surveys. By taking this approach, we made it possible to achieve methodological triangulation, which enhances the validity of our study. Our first analysis focused on classroom observations, field notes, and classroom video recordings to identify the story-driven learning pedagogical practices used by instructors. We used field notes to document these practices when we were observing the classroom sessions. To supplement our field notes, we recorded a subset of the classroom sessions, which we transcribed and analyzed, focusing on the instructors’ discourse. We used a combination of deductive and inductive methods, with the former leaning on existing theories or empirical studies that describe classroom practices (Ellis et al., 2019; Herbel-Eisenmann et al., 2013), and the latter aiming to discover new or unique practices that would emerge from our observations. In addition to classroom observations, we collected and analyzed data from the student perspective to obtain a data triangulation. The data triangulation, as an analytic ethnographic approach, is beneficial in providing confirmation of study findings and a more enhanced understanding of phenomena, with increased validity (Reeves et al., 2008). In this study, the student data included reflective diaries (in which they responded to prompts asking them for their opinions and thoughts about the class), end-of-semester interviews, and pre- and post-surveys about learning outcomes. We used a descriptive qualitative approach to analyze the diaries, applied thematic analysis to the interviews, and used descriptive and dependent samples t-tests to evaluate the survey results. This study not only contributes to an improved understanding of story-driven learning as a pedagogical approach, but it also provides practical insights into how to use an ethnographic approach in engineering education research. We share valuable lessons learned from this process, including best practices for (a) using field notes, (b) applying both deductive and inductive approaches to analyze classroom discourse, (c) designing effective reflective diary prompts, (d) asking open-ended questions for student interviews, and (e) achieving data triangulation from multiple sources of data. These insights are intended to aid future researchers and educators who want to explore and study pedagogical innovations in engineering or other disciplines.

Citation
Format

Lee, H. Y., & LeDoux, J. M. (2024, June), Designing and Conducting Research Using an Ethnographic Approach to Identify Pedagogical Practices in Engineering Education Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/47138

TY - CPAPER
AB - This method paper shares how we used an ethnographic approach to identify key pedagogical practices used by instructors who use stories to drive student learning (i.e., story-driven learning) in engineering classrooms. To our knowledge, given that no comprehensive set of pedagogical practices using stories in teaching and learning exists (Author et al., 2023), we used an ethnographic approach to develop a holistic understanding of such instructors’ pedagogical strategies. In this paper, we intend to offer methodological guidance for researchers interested in using ethnographic approaches to study pedagogical approaches in engineering classrooms. Specifically, we describe the steps of our ethnographic approach, ranging from study design and data collection to the analysis and triangulation of multiple sources of data. This work adds to the growing literature on using ethnographic methods in engineering education research (Case &amp;amp; Light, 2011; Godfrey &amp;amp; Parker, 2010; Olds et al., 2005).
Our research is part of a larger initiative that promotes story-driven learning as a novel instructional approach in biomedical engineering education. Story-driven learning aims to enable students to reflect on their past life experiences and to envision multiple possible futures. The course we studied, The Art of Telling Your Story, is offered by an engineering department at a large public university in the southeastern United States. Consistent with best practices in ethnographic research (Lofland, 1971), we used multiple sources of data to enhance the robustness of our findings (Carter et al., 2014; Patton, 1999). These included classroom observations, field notes, video recordings of instruction, student-written reflective diaries, one-on-one interviews with students, and pre- and post-course student surveys. By taking this approach, we made it possible to achieve methodological triangulation, which enhances the validity of our study.
Our first analysis focused on classroom observations, field notes, and classroom video recordings to identify the story-driven learning pedagogical practices used by instructors. We used field notes to document these practices when we were observing the classroom sessions. To supplement our field notes, we recorded a subset of the classroom sessions, which we transcribed and analyzed, focusing on the instructors’ discourse. We used a combination of deductive and inductive methods, with the former leaning on existing theories or empirical studies that describe classroom practices (Ellis et al., 2019; Herbel-Eisenmann et al., 2013), and the latter aiming to discover new or unique practices that would emerge from our observations.
In addition to classroom observations, we collected and analyzed data from the student perspective to obtain a data triangulation. The data triangulation, as an analytic ethnographic approach, is beneficial in providing confirmation of study findings and a more enhanced understanding of phenomena, with increased validity (Reeves et al., 2008). In this study, the student data included reflective diaries (in which they responded to prompts asking them for their opinions and thoughts about the class), end-of-semester interviews, and pre- and post-surveys about learning outcomes. We used a descriptive qualitative approach to analyze the diaries, applied thematic analysis to the interviews, and used descriptive and dependent samples t-tests to evaluate the survey results.
This study not only contributes to an improved understanding of story-driven learning as a pedagogical approach, but it also provides practical insights into how to use an ethnographic approach in engineering education research. We share valuable lessons learned from this process, including best practices for (a) using field notes, (b) applying both deductive and inductive approaches to analyze classroom discourse, (c) designing effective reflective diary prompts, (d) asking open-ended questions for student interviews, and (e) achieving data triangulation from multiple sources of data. These insights are intended to aid future researchers and educators who want to explore and study pedagogical innovations in engineering or other disciplines.
AU - Hye Yeon Lee
AU - Joseph M. LeDoux
CY - Portland, Oregon
DA - 2024/06/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Designing and Conducting Research Using an Ethnographic Approach to Identify Pedagogical Practices in Engineering Education
UR - https://peer.asee.org/47138
ER -