Understanding how novice indian faculty engage in engineering education research

Unlike engineering research, engineering education research (EER) in India has lacked popularity and acceptance. However, EER is gaining recognition globally, and specifically in India, faculty members housed in traditional engineering programs are starting to engage in EER. This study sought to understand how faculty members in India with a formal engineering background engage in the process of learning to and conducting EER. This qualitative research study involved four research participants from two different universities in India. Four interviews were conducted and analyzed to address the following research question, How do faculty members housed in traditional engineering programs build, interpret, apply and communicate new knowledge in engaging in engineering education research in India?, four interviews (~ 60 minutes each). The Boyer's Model of Scholarship was used as a theoretical framework to guide this research study. The themes that emerged from this study were: motivations to pursue EER; processes followed in EER; professional development required for transition; factors influencing the conduction of EER; challenges in conducting EER; and suggestions for novice engineering education researchers. Faculty members were more oriented towards quantitative research, which could result from similarities between quantitative approaches and traditional engineering research. Additionally, despite their reliance on quantitative methods, faculty lacked prior training and/or experience designing survey instruments as well as validity and reliability tests. It was also found that a lack of understanding of the field influenced faculty members' resistance to engaging in EER. This work initiates identification of process intervention points that, if addressed, could serve to enhance the transition to engaging in EER for Indian faculty, and potentially other novice faculty, in general.