"Brunkers and Brave Heroes": Dominant Subject Positions in Figured Worlds of Construction Engineering

• In Event: 43.021 - From Barriers to Learning to Barriers for Learning

Abstract

Research in engineering education has pointed to the need for new engineers to develop a broader skill-set with an emphasis on ‘softer’ social skills. However, there remains strong tensions in the identity work that engineers must engage in to balance the technical demands of the discipline with the new emphasis on heterogeneous skills. This study explores how three non-traditional students experience these tensions in the final year of their construction engineering program, across classroom and workplace experiences. We explore the dominant subject positions for students in construction engineering classroom and workplaces in a three-year Swedish engineering program. Results demonstrate that dominant subject positions for construction engineers can trouble students’ identity work as they move across classroom and workplace settings.

Authors

• Allison Gonsalves, McGill University

• Eva Silfver, Umeå Universitet

• Anna Danielsson, Uppsala University

• Maria Berge, Umeå Universitet