An Ethnographic Study of an Engineering Community: Mentoring as a Tacit Rule and Its Implications for How People Learn

Autor/inn/en	Ayar, Mehmet C.; Yalvac, Bugrahan
Titel	An Ethnographic Study of an Engineering Community: Mentoring as a Tacit Rule and Its Implications for How People Learn
Quelle	In: Journal of Engineering Education, 111 (2022) 2, S.400-419 (20 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Ayar, Mehmet C.) ORCID (Yalvac, Bugrahan)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1069-4730
DOI	10.1002/jee.20454
Schlagwörter	Ethnography; Engineering Education; Mentors; Learning Processes; Interdisciplinary Approach; Graduate Students; Student Research; Research and Development Centers; Laboratories; Communities of Practice + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ethnografie; Ingenieurausbildung; Learning process; Lernprozess; Fächerübergreifender Unterricht; Fächerverbindender Unterricht; Interdisziplinarität; Graduate Study; Student; Students; Aufbaustudium; Graduiertenstudium; Hauptstudium; Studentin; Studentenforschung; Forschungszentrum; Laboratory; Laboratorium; Community
Abstract	Background: Laboratory studies explore the norms and characteristics of scientific practice and explain the constructive nature of knowledge production. However, how learning and research are sustained in engineering research laboratories at the graduate level requires further investigation. Purpose: We explored the cultural characteristics of an interdisciplinary engineering research center and documented how its members interacted and sustained both research and learning activities. Design/Method: We employed ethnographic data collection strategies to document the process of developing expertise (i.e., learning) and meaningfully contributing (i.e., research) at the center. Participant observations, field notes, and interviews were conducted. Results: The center did not resemble the research laboratories described in prior ethnographic studies in terms of physical space; however, it is an organizational system that demonstrates various dimensions of human activity. We present our results in four subsections: (1) configurations of the research groups, (2) the roles and responsibilities of the engineering researchers, (3) characterization of the research center as a community of practice, and (4) authentic engineering practices. Mentoring as a tacit rule played a central role in sustaining engineering learning and research activities. It was dependent on the managerial preferences of lead engineering researchers as they developed different identities over time. Meetings, cultural transformation, shared repertoire, and tools characterized the center as a community of practice. Conclusions: Our findings inform how people learn. Educational settings should foster similar characteristics (e.g., mentoring to sustain engineering research, learning, and building a community of practice) to better portray authentic engineering and science practices to students. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01