Browsing by Author "Groen, Cassandra J."
Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Advancing from Outsider to Insider: A Grounded Theory of Professional Identity NegotiationGroen, Cassandra J. (Virginia Tech, 2017-04-11)As evidenced by a large body of research within the engineering education community, those individuals who do not maintain a sense of belonging, identify with engineering groups, or perceive themselves as engineers are more likely to leave the profession. However, little is known about the ways in which engineering students construct or develop their personal and professional identities as influenced by the disciplinary values, behaviors, and practices learned during the undergraduate education experience. In order to deepen the understanding of professional identity formation within the engineering disciplines, a grounded theory study was conducted to explore the experiences of 31 sophomore, junior, and senior level undergraduate students enrolled in a civil engineering program. Upon conducting an iterative process of data collection and analysis, a theory of professional identity negotiation emerged from interviews depicting participants' experiences. This theory titled Negotiating Equilibrium: Advancing from Outsider to Insider or the AOI Model, captures the identities negotiated by students as they iteratively define, adjust, and readjust definitions of self and profession to maintain a balance between their personal self and the learned disciplinary identity of the civil engineering profession. As participants gained this balance, they began to see themselves as professionals and advance from an outsider (i.e., one not belonging to the civil engineering profession) to an insider (i.e., one belonging to the civil engineering profession). The AOI Model provides a framework for researchers to further explore professional identity formation, promotes the development of identity-influencing coursework and instructor teaching approaches, and inspires future research trajectories in engineering and civil engineering education.
- Disciplinary Influences on the Professional Identity of Civil Engineering Students: Starting the ConversationGroen, Cassandra J.; Simmons, Denise Rutledge; McNair, Elizabeth D. (2016-06)As the discipline of civil engineering has evolved from an apprentice-based trade to a socially-engaged profession, the role of the civil engineer has responded to shifts within the ever-changing culture of society. These shifts and historical events have directly influenced what is considered to be valued civil engineering knowledge, behaviors, and practices that we teach to students during their undergraduate careers. As part of a larger grounded theory study that is currently being conducted by the authors, the purpose of this paper is two-fold. First, we present the topic of professional identity formation as heavily influenced by unique historical events that shape the civil engineering discipline. . To establish the connection between identity formation and the history of civil engineering, we interpret historical events as constituents that create a disciplinary identity that is communicated to and subjectively applied by students during their undergraduate careers. Second, we hope to promote and invoke conversations surrounding the relevancy of civil engineering professional identity formation in engineering education among our colleagues within the technical disciplines. Through this paper, we add to ongoing research exploring the professional formation of engineering identities and promote discussions surround this topic at the disciplinary level. While most research conducted on identity formation has been generalized to include all or most engineering disciplines, we focus our discussion solely on professional identity formation within the civil engineering discipline. To reinforce the relationship between the history of the civil engineering profession and students’ professional identity formation, we review the literature on these two areas of inquiry. In particular, we will frame our paper using the following key discussion points: 1) providing a brief overview of key historical events of civil engineering in the United States; 2) discussing the influence of this history on instructor pedagogies and student learning within civil engineering education; and 3) conceptualizing this learning process as a means of professional identity formation. From this work, we will begin to understand how major historical shifts within our discipline maintain the potential to impact its future as we educate the next generation of civil engineering students. To conclude this paper, we will introduce current research that is being conducted by the authors to further understand the nuances of professional identity formation in undergraduate civil engineering students and how instructors may help or hinder that development.
- Examining Students' Metacognitive Awareness Through Analysis of Student-generated Learning ResponsesGoldberg, Saryn R.; Rich, Jennifer; Masnick, Amy; Paretti, Marie C.; Groen, Cassandra J.; Lutz, Benjamin David; McNair, Elizabeth D. (2016-06-27)This work-in-progress provides a preliminary exploration of students’ metacognitive monitoring abilities by analyzing written self-evaluations of statics problems. Metacognitive approaches to learning encourage students to examine their own thinking processes as a means of deepening their understanding. We used qualitative coding to analyze students’ level of metacognitive awareness regarding both their ability to solve a given problem and their ability to identify sources of error. The full data set includes 10 response sequences (homework solution and student writing about their solution) from 69 students. In this paper, we present the analysis of two of these sequences, one from early and one from later in the semester. The findings show that for both assignments, about half the students recognized their inability to solve the problems correctly, though in both cases the groups were split between those who could accurately identify one or more sources of error and those who could not. This finding points to the need for teaching practices that can help students develop the ability both to accurately assess their performance and, perhaps more importantly, identify sources of error and confusion that can then lead to successful learning.
- Quarry Workers' Hazard Identification, Severity Interpretation, and Prevention StrategiesBae, Hwangbo (Virginia Tech, 2019-08-29)The surface-mining worker fatalities are unacceptably high as compared to other private industries in United States such as construction, manufacturing, agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting. Although many studies about generating a safe work environment and developing safety training through intervention modules have tried to reduce the number of worker fatalities by utilizing an administrative approach to the development of safety controls, a rigorous study about understanding craftworkers' perceptions of a safe work environment is lacking. This study particularly investigated quarry workers' safety behaviors regarding work hazards by adapting findings from construction safety research because construction and mining industries have similarities in work hazards and environment. Despite their similarities, the work fatality rate in the mining industry is greater than in the construction industry (BLS, 2018). To gain a greater understanding of how quarry workers identify and interpret work hazards and employ strategies to prevent accidents, this study explored quarry workers' perceptions of work hazards (i.e., hazard identification, severity interpretation) and their preventive strategies to develop a safer working environment at the workplace. To accomplish this, a single descriptive case study was conducted with multiple sources of data such as interviews with photo elicitation, field notes, site photographs, and precursory meeting with safety managers. These sources of data were used to investigate quarry workers' identification and interpretation skills and utilization of preventive strategies. This study will contribute to improve safety of workers by incorporating workers' perceptions of work hazards and by exploring their experience to the development of safety training.