Education theories on learning: an informal guide for the engineering education scholar

This guide has been produced to complement and develop the Engineering Subject Centre’s existing range of resources about learning and teaching theory. It is aimed at newcomers to the field, such as: •engineering teachers who want to be able to use education theory and research findings to inform their teaching; and •aspiring engineering education researchers who want to launch their own projects. Using a view of a theory as a set of ‘thinking tools’, the guide offers a selection for building up a tool kit. Six ‘tools’ have been identified.The selection is the author’s personal choice and the tools were chosen for their usefulness in engineering education research.Tools 1-3 broadly cover learning as acquisition, tools 3-6 look at learning as participation: 1.Tool 1: Concepts 2.Tool 2: Ways of experiencing 3.Tool 3: Approaches to learning 4.Tool 4: Community of practice 5.Tool 5: Identity 6.Tool 6: Discourse. The guide has an informal tone to make it as accessible as possible for those who are new to education research. Each section provides a brief introduction to the tool, including a case study example and further reading.Wherever possible, references and further notes on terminology are in the footnotes. A detailed reference section is provided at the end of the guide.This structure enables the reader to engage with the text on either an introductory or more theoretical level, depending on their needs