Critically engaging engineering in place by localizing counternarratives in engineering design

In this manuscript, we use the construct of critical epistemologies of place to frame our exploration of how to support engineering design among youth who have historically been marginalized from the domain, and its implications for educational settings. We present an in-depth longitudinal case study of one 12-year-old African American boy to raise questions of what it means for this youth to engage in engineering design in collaboration with the people around in him—experts and knowledgeable others in his community space and how this engagement supports his work in science and engineering. This study suggests that engaging engineering design through a critical epistemology of place involves an iterative and generative process of layering community wisdom and knowledge onto STEM toward (a) how epistemologies of place—and their layers—challenge dominant master narratives, (b) reimagining practices in place, and (c) transforming the dangerous territory of STEM. Our study expands upon current understandings of supporting youth in engaging engineering through highlighting the vital role of sociohistorically constructed understandings of STEM and community in determining when, how, and why engineering takes place.

在这份手稿中，我们运用地方批判认识论的构建来框定我们的探索，即如何支持那些在历史上被该领域边缘化的青少年进行工程设计，以及这对教育环境的影响。我们呈现了一个对一名12岁非裔美国男孩深入的纵向案例研究，以提出问题：对于这个青少年来说，与他周围的人——他所在社区空间中的专家和其他有知识的人合作进行工程设计意味着什么，以及这种参与如何支持他在科学和工程方面的工作。这项研究表明，通过地方批判认识论来进行工程设计涉及一个将社区智慧和知识分层叠加到STEM上的迭代和生成过程，旨在（a）地方认识论及其层次如何挑战主流的主导叙事，（b）重新构想当地的实践，以及（c）改变STEM的危险领域。我们的研究通过强调社会历史构建的对STEM和社区的理解在决定工程何时、如何以及为何发生方面的关键作用，扩展了当前对支持青少年参与工程的理解。