ABSTRACT
How people learn engineering has emerged as a core focus within engineering education in the past decade. Scholars now recognize that people learn engineering in diverse ways and that the context of learning (e.g., cultural, historical, formal or informal education, or workplace settings) significantly shapes learning processes and outcomes. In this chapter, authors review research from learning sciences and engineering education research to highlight considerations of power and culture as they intersect with knowledge, identity, agency, language practices, discourse, and sociomateriality. Through a discussion of these topics and specific example studies, the authors elaborate on critical cultural analysis and demonstrate its utilities for examining, elucidating, and informing learning practices. The chapter is not intended to function as a guidebook for all aspects of critical cultural analysis; instead, the chapter demonstrates new interdisciplinary possibilities that can facilitate transforming engineering education research with a more nuanced and productive view of learning.
