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This study, part of a larger research project focused on disciplinary literacy within engineering (Authors, 2018), is a comparative case study of the literacy practices of two electrical engineers. The goal of this comparative case study was to understand how electrical engineers read, write, and evaluate multi-representational texts in the context of their professional lives. We used the findings from this study to construct a model of disciplinary literacy in electrical engineering, whose purpose is to prepare students for the electrical engineering workforce by teaching them to interpret and produce texts using authentic disciplinary frameworks. This paper examines the literacy practices of two electrical engineers to answer the following research questions: (1) What texts do the electrical engineers read and write? (2) What disciplinary frameworks do they use to read and write different texts? (3) How do engineers use internet searches to locate and evaluate information? (4) What role does argumentation have with respect to their literacy practices?
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Defining technological and engineering literacy
The concept of literacy and specifically technological and engineering literacy is difficult for practitioners of technology and engineering education to explain. As this concept is at the heart of the new STEL standards, the author explains this concept and provides applied examples.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1904261
- PAR ID:
- 10210625
- Editor(s):
- de la Paz, K.
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Technology and engineering teacher
- Volume:
- 80
- Issue:
- 3
- ISSN:
- 2158-0502
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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