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Raising Critical Consciousness in Engineering Education: A Critical Exploration of Transformative Possibilities in Engineering Education and Research / Gabrielle Orbaek White

Swansea University Author: Gabrielle Orbaek White

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DOI (Published version): 10.23889/SUthesis.63685

Abstract

This thesis represents a critical exploration of the opportunities, challenges, and barriers to enacting social justice via the engineering curriculum. Through an ethnographic case study of a British engineering for sustainable development course, I illuminate tensions and contradictions of attempts...

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Published: Swansea, Wales, UK 2023
Institution: Swansea University
Degree level: Doctoral
Degree name: Ph.D
Supervisor: Xavier, Patricia A., Forde, Elaine M. N., Groves, Catherine J. and Holness, R. James
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa63685
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spelling v2 63685 2023-06-22 Raising Critical Consciousness in Engineering Education: A Critical Exploration of Transformative Possibilities in Engineering Education and Research d272c5fc63586b2dcbcb31c27a5edd1d Gabrielle Orbaek White Gabrielle Orbaek White true false 2023-06-22 This thesis represents a critical exploration of the opportunities, challenges, and barriers to enacting social justice via the engineering curriculum. Through an ethnographic case study of a British engineering for sustainable development course, I illuminate tensions and contradictions of attempts to “do good” while “doing engineering” in a higher education setting. This work is couched within critical and anti-colonial theoretical frames. Through critical and reflexive analysis, I illustrate attempts of participants to innovate in engineering education toward a counter-hegemonic engineering practice, and highlight transformative possibilities, as well as barriers. This case illustrates how the structures that formed modern engineering continue to shape engineering higher education, restraining attempts to transform engineering training for social good.A central question that has driven this work has been: Is it possible to cultivate a more socially just form of engineering practice through engineering higher education? The function of asking this question has been to interrogate a core assumption in engineering education research – that with the right blend of educational interventions, we can make strides towards social justice. My intent in interrogating this assumption is not to be nihilistic per se. I believe it is entirely possible that engineering could potentially be wielded for just cause and consequence. However, if we do not critically examine our core assumptions around this issue, we may also miss out on the possibility that socially just engineering is not achievable, at least in the way we are currently approaching it or in the current context within which it exists.An examination of this topic is already underway in the US context. However, it is under-explored in a British context. Given the different historical trajectories of engineering and engineering in higher education between these two contexts, a closer look at the British context is warranted. E-Thesis Swansea, Wales, UK Engineering Education, Critical Pedagogy, Decolonising Higher Education 12 6 2023 2023-06-12 10.23889/SUthesis.63685 A selection of third party content is redacted or is partially redacted from this thesis due to copyright restrictions. Author ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4408-9513. Author also known as Gabrielle Novello. COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University Xavier, Patricia A., Forde, Elaine M. N., Groves, Catherine J. and Holness, R. James Doctoral Ph.D Swansea University 2023-10-03T16:04:49.5193680 2023-06-22T10:55:20.6136046 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Materials Science and Engineering Gabrielle Orbaek White 1 63685__27935__4c9e859c8ac742d09e3f9b0fcb994882.pdf 2023_OrbaekWhite_GD.final.63685.pdf 2023-06-22T10:59:28.3995044 Output 1193656 application/pdf E-Thesis – open access true Copyright: The Author, Gabrielle D. Orbaek White, 2023. Distributed under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 License (CC BY-NC 4.0). true eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
title Raising Critical Consciousness in Engineering Education: A Critical Exploration of Transformative Possibilities in Engineering Education and Research
spellingShingle Raising Critical Consciousness in Engineering Education: A Critical Exploration of Transformative Possibilities in Engineering Education and Research
Gabrielle Orbaek White
title_short Raising Critical Consciousness in Engineering Education: A Critical Exploration of Transformative Possibilities in Engineering Education and Research
title_full Raising Critical Consciousness in Engineering Education: A Critical Exploration of Transformative Possibilities in Engineering Education and Research
title_fullStr Raising Critical Consciousness in Engineering Education: A Critical Exploration of Transformative Possibilities in Engineering Education and Research
title_full_unstemmed Raising Critical Consciousness in Engineering Education: A Critical Exploration of Transformative Possibilities in Engineering Education and Research
title_sort Raising Critical Consciousness in Engineering Education: A Critical Exploration of Transformative Possibilities in Engineering Education and Research
author_id_str_mv d272c5fc63586b2dcbcb31c27a5edd1d
author_id_fullname_str_mv d272c5fc63586b2dcbcb31c27a5edd1d_***_Gabrielle Orbaek White
author Gabrielle Orbaek White
author2 Gabrielle Orbaek White
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publishDate 2023
institution Swansea University
doi_str_mv 10.23889/SUthesis.63685
college_str Faculty of Science and Engineering
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hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofscienceandengineering
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description This thesis represents a critical exploration of the opportunities, challenges, and barriers to enacting social justice via the engineering curriculum. Through an ethnographic case study of a British engineering for sustainable development course, I illuminate tensions and contradictions of attempts to “do good” while “doing engineering” in a higher education setting. This work is couched within critical and anti-colonial theoretical frames. Through critical and reflexive analysis, I illustrate attempts of participants to innovate in engineering education toward a counter-hegemonic engineering practice, and highlight transformative possibilities, as well as barriers. This case illustrates how the structures that formed modern engineering continue to shape engineering higher education, restraining attempts to transform engineering training for social good.A central question that has driven this work has been: Is it possible to cultivate a more socially just form of engineering practice through engineering higher education? The function of asking this question has been to interrogate a core assumption in engineering education research – that with the right blend of educational interventions, we can make strides towards social justice. My intent in interrogating this assumption is not to be nihilistic per se. I believe it is entirely possible that engineering could potentially be wielded for just cause and consequence. However, if we do not critically examine our core assumptions around this issue, we may also miss out on the possibility that socially just engineering is not achievable, at least in the way we are currently approaching it or in the current context within which it exists.An examination of this topic is already underway in the US context. However, it is under-explored in a British context. Given the different historical trajectories of engineering and engineering in higher education between these two contexts, a closer look at the British context is warranted.
published_date 2023-06-12T16:04:50Z
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