Improving Engineering Mechanics Self-efficacy by Focusing on Abstracting the Physical World as a Precursor to Analysis

Kaye, N; Benson, L; Headley, M; Sonavane, K

Sophomore level engineering mechanics classes typically have high rates of failure or withdrawal. Some explanations posited for this phenomenon include lack of student preparation, the difficulty of the material, ineffective instructional methods, and lack of context. Instructors and textbook authors attempt to overcome these issues with a range of pedagogical approaches such as math reviews, worked examples focused on problem solving processes, “real-world” problems, and active learning focused on physical understanding. However, the first step in the problem-solving process, abstracting the problem, is very often missing. At a fundamental level, engineers follow a four-step design process: (1) Describing or abstracting the physical world with diagrams, words, numbers, and equations (2) Analyzing their model (3) Designing something based on that analysis, and (4) Constructing the designed system. Sophomore mechanics classes traditionally focus on step (2) largely bypassing step (1), instead presenting students with drawings, numbers, and text and teaching them to apply appropriate equations. The goals of this research are (1) to develop a sophomore-level mechanics class that flips the traditional approach by starting with the physical world application and focusing on developing students’ ability to abstract as a precursor to analysis; and (2) to assess if this new approach improves student self-efficacy in basic mechanics. The hypothesis of the proposed research is that, by starting with abstraction, students will build a stronger connection between the physical world and the mechanics modeling. In turn, this will improve student’s perceptions about their ability to solve engineering mechanics problems and their motivation to pursue careers as engineers in the future. The specific research questions we seek to answer are: (1) In what ways does teaching students how to abstract the physical world affect their self-efficacy to solve problems in a basic mechanics class? and (2) In what ways does showing students how to abstract the physical world into tractable engineering science problems affect their future-oriented motivation? We are employing a mixed methods approach that combines quantitative survey data with observations, interviews, and course artifacts to address our research questions. The first phase of our research will establish baseline survey data from statics classes taught in a traditional lecture style that will be compared in future iterations of the course in which students engage in problem abstraction as the first step in the problem-solving process. Results will be presented on the baseline survey data assessing students’ problem-solving self-efficacy and future oriented motivation. In addition to the baseline survey results, we will present example lesson plans, worksheets, class assessments, and an example physical model to illustrate how abstraction will be used in the classroom. Future directions for this project will also be discussed.

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