HOW DO ENGINEERING EDUCATION SOCIETIES ENGAGE WITH DEI CONCEPTS? A PRELIMINARY THEORETICAL ANALYSIS OF FORMAL DEI STATEMENTS
Paper i proceeding, 2024

The growing emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion in engineering education shows the need for substantive changes within academic institutions and professional sectors. Despite numerous initiatives, traditional approaches often fail to address systemic barriers hindering the full participation of historically marginalized groups. Moreover, the global context adds complexity to DEI efforts, necessitating a deeper understanding of how DEI initiatives align with theoretical frameworks. This paper explores the alignment between theoretical underpinnings and DEI statements in engineering education. The preliminary study aims to enhance the alignment of DEI commitments with theoretical foundations. The study utilizes results from a previous scoping review of literature which identified five emergent themes in the use of theories in engineering education DEI research: Institutional and Organizational Theory, Constructivist and Developmental Theory, Social Identity and Intersectionality Theory, Community and Cultural Theory, and Critical Theory. Three DEI statements from prominent engineering education organizations are analysed through these thematic lenses. The analysis reveals varying degrees of alignment between the DEI statements and theoretical frameworks, highlighting the importance of context in understanding and prioritizing DEI topics. While each statement demonstrates alignment with DEI theories, differences in focus and extent suggest opportunities for intentional writing of DEI statements. The paper provides an initial discussion on how to critically write DEI statements, underscoring the importance of theoretical foundations in guiding effective DEI initiatives. Further research could expand this analysis to other DEI policy documents to gain deeper insights into DEI efforts in engineering education globally.

Role of Theory

Engineering Education Societies

Diversity Statements

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Författare

Homero Murzi

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Becky Bergman

Chalmers, Vetenskapens kommunikation och lärande, Fackspråk och kommunikation

Ines Direito

Universidade de Aveiro

J. Van Maele

KU Leuven

SEFI 2024 - 52nd Annual Conference of the European Society for Engineering, Proceedings: Educating Responsible Engineers

727-741
9782873520274 (ISBN)

52nd Annual Conference of the European Society for Engineering: Educating Responsible Engineers, SEFI 2024
Lausanne, Switzerland,

Ämneskategorier (SSIF 2025)

Systemvetenskap, informationssystem och informatik med samhällsvetenskaplig inriktning

DOI

10.5281/zenodo.14254824

Mer information

Senast uppdaterat

2025-03-07