An exploration of the second year students' engineering way of thinking

This research paper explores the role of chemical engineering curricula in engineering identity development among second-year chemical engineering students. We use Gee's notion of affinity identity as the theoretical framework, which is defined as the identity derived from engaging in the shared practices of a group. One way these shared practices manifest in engineering students is the development of engineering ways of thinking. We posit that as students participate in the shared practices of the discipline through engagement with their chemical engineering curricula, they start developing distinct ways of thinking guided by their disciplinary practices. Semi-structured interview data were collected from twenty second-year chemical engineering students at two different South African universities. The interview questions asked students what they considered to be a typical way in which engineers think and how engaging with the curricular experiences was helping them develop this thinking. Preliminary analysis of data suggests that students described engineering ways of thinking as an enhanced awareness of real-world problems and an increased capacity to solve these problems. Additionally, students noted that engagement with the curricula makes them more curious about how real-world tools and systems work. Some students also described learning the language and problem solving techniques unique to engineering as an engineering way of thinking. Our data also suggest that not all students were aware of the development of an engineering way of thinking in them.