Browsing by Author "Smit, Reneé"

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    The nature of engineering and science knowledge in curriculum: a case study in thermodynamics
    (2017) Smit, Reneé; Case, Jennifer M; Muller, Johan
    Abstract The study explores the nature of disciplinary knowledge differences and similarities between the sciences and the engineering sciences as these appear in curriculum texts. The work is presented as a case study of curriculum knowledge in thermodynamics, and the epistemic properties are investigated in four sub-cases in mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, physics and chemistry. Data was collected from prescribed undergraduate textbooks in the four disciplinary fields. The work is theoretically informed by two fields of scholarly work: the sociology of educational knowledge (in particular the work of Basil Bernstein) and the applied philosophies of science and engineering science, in order to develop a theoretical framework for analysis of the data. The framework allows the study to move beyond the typical binary classification of the sciences as 'hard-pure' and engineering sciences as 'hard-applied' disciplines. Starting from broad teleological considerations, the philosophical concepts of specialisation, idealisation and normativity are explored and developed into modalities and modal continua of variance to allow investigation of the epistemic differences and similarities in the recontextualised disciplinary knowledge from these contiguous conceptual fields. The empirical study identifies important differences in thermodynamics curriculum knowledge in terms of specialisation, normativity and idealisation across the broad disciplinary fields, rendering more complex Bernstein's notions of singulars and regions. The epistemic modalities and modes provide a way to conceive in more detail how the professional engineering science knowledge is orientated towards its field of practice. Curriculum knowledge in the engineering sciences is shown to be remarkably different from the knowledge in the sciences: both mechanical and chemical engineering knowledge emphasise particulars, rather than universals, have stronger normative aspects, and employ a limited form of idealisation in their commitment to physical realisability. By contrast, knowledge in the sciences is more universal, normativity is incidental, and idealisation is used expansively. In addition, the research findings suggest a negative correlation between idealisation and normativity as epistemic modalities: a commitment to normative concerns in the engineering sciences constrains the extent to which knowledge idealisation is pursued, compared to what is observed in the bodies of science curriculum knowledge. Furthermore, over and above differences in curriculum knowledge between the broad fields of science and engineering science, discernible variation exists between the engineering sciences investigated, raising cautions against a monolithic view of curricular epistemic properties across broad disciplinary areas.
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    Understanding how socio-ecological factors affect resilience and persistence among students in engineering education in South Africa
    (2025) Mostert, Morney Conrad; Campbell, Anita; Smit, Reneé
    Resilience is paramount in the demanding sphere of tertiary studies, particularly in engineering programmes that require significant cognitive and emotional investment. Guided by Ungar's Socio-Ecological Model of Resilience, this study examines the factors contribute to or hinder resilience and academic persistence among engineering students at a South African university of technology. The study was a qualitative analysis using insights from semi-structured interviews with seven senior engineering students. Criterion sampling was employed to deliberately exclude first-year students to ensure sufficient academic experience with rigorous theoretical coursework and intensive laboratory sessions. Seven senior engineering students participated, and data were collected via semi-structured, online interviews using Microsoft Teams, each lasting between 45 to 60 minutes. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using Deductive Thematic Analysis. The themes were mapped explicitly onto Ungar's ecological framework, ensuring rigorous alignment between theoretical concepts and empirical data. In Ungar's framework, resilience results from active interweaving of factors at four ecological levels: macrosystem, microsystem, exosystem, and mesosystem. At the microsystem level, encouragement by members of the faculty, positive relationships with peer students, and curricular requirements that are well structured offer the greatest contributory factors to student motivation. Family and community support as well as mentorship create strong pillars within the mesosystem and are supported at the campus level. At the exosystem level, institutional policies and infrastructure demonstrate how challenges regarding access to financial aid and bureaucracy, as well as problems like unstable electricity supply, at times diminish students' resilience, but in some cases may support it. At the macrosystem level, societal perceptions of engineering as both prestigious and demanding shape students' aspirations and pressures, underscoring the need for broader cultural and systemic support. These findings refine Ungar's model by highlighting engineering-specific challenges, such as lab-intensive coursework and infrastructural constraints, and underscoring how multi-tiered interventions can foster resilience in resource-limited contexts. Practical recommendations include streamlining funding and administration, implementing empathy training for academic staff, adapting curricula to local conditions, and forging collaborative ties with families and communities. By viewing resilience as a socially anchored process rather than purely an individual trait, the study calls for coordinated efforts to empower engineering students, ultimately enriching both their academic success and the broader STEM - science, technology, engineering and mathematics - landscape in South Africa