Engineering Faculty's Mindset and The Impact on Instructional Practices
Article
Brown, F, Pierce, KE, Fletcher, T et al. (2023). Engineering Faculty's Mindset and The Impact on Instructional Practices
. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION, 39(3), 719-731.
Brown, F, Pierce, KE, Fletcher, T et al. (2023). Engineering Faculty's Mindset and The Impact on Instructional Practices
. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION, 39(3), 719-731.
Multiple factors influence faculty instructional practices and strategies in engineering. Effective strategies for improving instructional practices are correlated to the belief of the individual faculty. While substantial research has been done on how faculty and their instructional practices can make a positive difference in student achievement, less research has been done on how faculty's mindset drives instructional practices. This study aims to fill this gap. This study sought to answer two research questions: (1) What is the continuous fixed through growth mindset of engineering faculty with respect to faculty demographics? (2) Is there a difference in self-reported instructional practice with respect to faculty mindset and faculty demographics? In Fall of 2019, we used an online survey to collect survey responses from 105 engineering faculty from 14 different engineering colleges at Carnegie classified as Doctoral/Professional universities. The survey instrument included two scales with existing validity evidence: the Dweck Mindset (DM I) and the Postsecondary Instructional Practices Survey (PIPS). The analysis generated three key results: (1) engineering faculty m the sample did not score along the mindset spectrum, most fell in the middle of the spectrum and were categorized as incremental; (2) there was a statistically significant difference in engineering faculty mindset that varied by faculty demographics including gender, ranking, and tenure status; and (3) student-content engagement and student-student engagement were found to be the most discriminant teaching practices. Our study demonstrates strong correlation between the mindset of engineering faculty and instructional practices, as well as how that correlation varies by faculty demographics. Our results suggest faculty mindset is a malleable construct that can directly affect teaching practices leading to better teaching and learning in engineering. Furthermore, our study supports the implementation of training to ensure tenured faculty are comfortable with a growth mindset as well as the need to continue to increase the diversity of engineering faculty.
