Document Type
Article
Journal/Book Title/Conference
Journal of Engineering Education
Volume
109
Issue
2
Publisher
Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Inc.
Publication Date
3-30-2020
First Page
1
Last Page
26
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Abstract
Background
Across academic disciplines, researchers have found that argumentation‐based pedagogies increase learners' achievement and engagement. Engineering educational researchers and teachers of engineering may benefit from knowledge regarding how argumentation related to engineering has been practiced and studied.
Purpose/Hypothesis
Drawing from terms and concepts used in national standards for K‐12 education and accreditation requirements for undergraduate engineering education, this study was designed to identify how arguments and argumentation related to the engineering‐designed world were operationalized in relevant literature.
Methodology
Specified search terms and inclusion criteria were used to identify 117 empirical studies related to engineering argumentation and educational research. A qualitative content analysis was used to identify trends across these studies.
Findings
Overall, engineering‐related argumentation was associated with a variety of positive learner outcomes. Across many studies, arguments were operationalized in practice as statements regarding whether an existing technology should be adopted in a given context, usually with a limited number of supports (e.g., costs and ethics) provided for each claim. Relatively few studies mentioned empirical practices, such as tests. Most studies did not name the race/ethnicity of participants nor report engineering‐specific outcomes.
Conclusions
Engineering educators in K‐12 and undergraduate settings can create learning environments in which learners use a range of epistemic practices, including empirical practices, to support a range of claims. Researchers can study engineering‐specific outcomes while specifying relevant demographics of their research participants.
Recommended Citation
Wilson‐Lopez, A, Strong, AR, Hartman, CM, et al. A systematic review of argumentation related to the engineering‐designed world. J Eng Educ. 2020; 1– 26. https://doi-org.dist.lib.usu.edu/10.1002/jee.20318
