Resea ch Pape
Recommended ci a ion: S obel, J., Sepul eda Guzman, E., & Van den Bogaa d,
M. (2025). Challenging he De-Valuing o Educa ion Sciences: An Analysis o U.S.
Enginee ing Educa ion Ph.D. P og ams. In Kangaslampi, R., Langie, G., Jä inen,
H.-M., & Nagy, B. (Eds.), SEFI 53 d Annual Con e ence. Eu opean Socie y o
Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI), Tampe e, Finland. DOI:
10.5281/zenodo.17631487.
This Con e ence Pape is b ough o you o open access by he 53 d Annual Con e ence
o he Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI) a Tampe e Uni e si y in
Tampe e, Finland. This wo k is licensed unde a C ea i e Commons
A ibu ion-NonComme cial-Sha e Alike 4.0 In e na ional License.
CHALLENGING THE DE-VALUING OF EDUCATION SCIENCES: AN
ANALYSIS OF U.S. ENGINEERING EDUCATION PH.D. PROGRAMS
J S obel a,1, E Sepul eda Guzman b, M ED Van den Bogaa d c,
a Uni e si y o Texas a El Paso, El Paso, USA, ORCID 0000-0002-2124-1116
b Uni e si y o Texas a El Paso, El Paso, USA, ORCID 0000-0001-9442-811X
c Uni e si y o Texas a El Paso, El Paso, USA, ORCID 0000-0002-2267-3674
Con e ence Key A eas: Imp o ing highe enginee ing educa ion h ough
esea ching enginee ing educa ion; Enginee ing skills, p o essional skills, and
ans e sal skills
Keywo ds: Ph.D. aining; C i ical Analysis
ABSTRACT
This esea ch pape epo s indings o a s udy analysing enginee ing educa ion
esea ch (EER) Ph.D. p og ams. The las wen y yea s ha e seen a g ow h in U.S.-
based EER Ph.D. p og ams. P og ams a y by cu iculum, admissions c i e ia, and
ou comes. EER Ph.D. p og ams don’ jus educa e he nex gene a ion o
esea che s, hese Ph.D. p og ams a e embodimen s o wha i means o be
s ewa ds o he g owing ield o EER. The esea ch was conduc ed by collec ing
cu icula, ad e ising ma e ial and Ph.D. handbooks om 18 EER Ph.D. p og ams in
he US. In addi ion, he same ma e ial was collec ed om wo di e en Ph.D.
p og ams in he each o he 18 uni e si ies: one in ano he DBER a ea (science,
biology, chemis y educa ion) and one in a adi ional non-educa ion-o ien ed Ph.D.
p og am in enginee ing (Mechanical, Elec ical). Resul s indica e ha Ph.D.
p og ams in EER seem o ha e con lic ing no ions o s ewa dship whe eas o he
enginee ing disciplines ha e clea e de ined models. The amoun o co e classes
and disciplina y dep h oo ed in he dep h/b ead h o educa ional sciences seem
signi ican ly smalle han in science educa ion, and signi ican ly and disp opo ionally
smalle o he amoun and dep h a s uden would gain in compe encies in a Ph.D. in
o he enginee ing disciplines.
1 Co esponding Au ho
J S obel
jms obe[email p o ec ed]
1 INTRODUCTION
Since he es ablishmen o Ph.D. o U.S. p og ams in Enginee ing Educa ion in 2007,
he ield o Enginee ing Educa ion a he doc o al le el has expe ienced signi ican
g ow h, spa king impo an discussions abou disciplina y bounda ies,
me hodological igo , and he legi imacy o educa ional esea ch wi hin adi ional
enginee ing con ex s. Despi e inc easing en olmen s and he o maliza ion o Ph.D.
p og ams wi h a clea “educa ion” in hei name, he ole, b ead h, dep h and alue o
Educa ion Sciences (as a b oad collec ion o subdisciplines) in he enginee ing
discipline-based educa ion esea ch se ings is a ely concep ualized. By he shea
small numbe o equi ed educa ion cou ses in ENE Ph.D. p og ams (de ails la e as
pa o his esea ch s udy), he b ead h and dep h o educa ion science as
disciplines seem o be educed o a e y small subse o discou ses and he e o e
aises ques ions abou whose expe ise is acknowledged, which o ms o knowledge
and which discou ses in educa ion a e deemed alid, and how u u e schola s a e
socialized in o hese eme ging in e disciplina y spaces. As g adua e p og ams in
Enginee ing Educa ion ma u e, i becomes c i ical o assess hei s uc u e, cul u al
no ms, and o e a ching goals - pa icula ly as hey s and owa ds he la ge con ex
o Educa ion Science. Such an in es iga ion is bo h imely and necessa y o add ess
s uc u al and sys emic in ellec ual and p ac ical blind spo s ha may hinde he ull
ealiza ion o he p og ams’ socie al and enginee ing discipline’s con ibu ions.
2 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS
The pape uses wo di e en heo e ical lenses: (1) Epis emic Injus ice and (2)
S ewa dship. Recen schola ship on epis emic injus ice o e s an insigh ul lens
h ough which o examine his ou esea ch ques ion. Gonzales, Pasque, Fa is, and
Hansen (2024) highligh how doc o al educa ion in he Uni ed S a es can pe pe ua e
inequi ies in he p oduc ion and alua ion o knowledge, pa icula ly when ce ain
epis emological s ances a e sys ema ically p i ileged. Simila ly, Do son’s (2012)
concep ualiza ion o epis emic opp ession highligh s how ma ginalized pe spec i es
a e o en discoun ed, he eby limi ing he b ead h and dep h o schola ly inqui y. Ou
esea ch uniquely applies Do son’s iew a guing ha he ield o enginee ing
educa ion esea ch engages in he epis emic and in ellec ual opp ession o
educa ion sciences. Wi hin Enginee ing Educa ion, he ension be ween echnical
knowledge and he s udy o eaching and lea ning exempli ies he po en ial o
epis emic ma ginaliza ion: some educa ional esea ch adi ions may be pe cei ed
as less “ igo ous” o “co e” han enginee ing esea ch and some educa ional
esea ch adi ions a e no ecognized, acknowledged no included in he discou se
o he ield o enginee ing educa ion, hus sidelining aluable insigh s in o pedagogy,
cu iculum, ins uc ion, s uden de elopmen jus o name a ew. By applying hese
epis emic injus ice amewo ks, we y o illumina e how he de aluing o Educa ion
Sciences unde mines he ield’s po en ial o cul i a e well- ounded doc o al
g adua es capable o ad ancing enginee ing educa ion esea ch.
An equally i al componen o his analysis in ol es he concep o s ewa dship, as
a icula ed by Richa dson (2006). S ewa dship emphasizes he esponsibili y o
doc o al g adua es no only o con ibu e o hei disciplines’ knowledge base bu also
o os e i s o e all heal h and longe i y. In he con ex o Enginee ing Educa ion,
s ewa dship implies cul i a ing schola s who ecognize he in insic wo h o bo h
enginee ing con ex s and educa ional heo ies and me hodologies, he eby
p ese ing and ad ancing a ield ha b idges echnical and educa ional expe ise.
Howe e , o s ewa dship o lou ish, Enginee ing Educa ion Ph.D. p og ams mus
be s uc u ed o encou age c i ical e lec ion on epis emic hie a chies and o
celeb a e di e se in ellec ual ways o knowing.
This s udy add esses he exis ing gap by in eg a ing s ewa dship p inciples wi h a
c i ical app aisal o epis emic injus ice o e eal how p og am design, cu icula, and
cul u al no ms o ENE Ph.D. p og ams shape u u e schola s’ capaci y o sus ain and
en ich he discipline. By syn hesizing hese amewo ks, we aim o examine how
Enginee ing Educa ion doc o al p og ams can mo e e ec i ely p omo e equi able
knowledge p oduc ion, uphold he legi imacy o educa ional esea ch, and s eng hen
he long- e m i ali y o he ield.
O e i een yea s since hei incep ion, Enginee ing Educa ion Ph.D. p og ams
s and a a junc u e ha calls o c i ical in ospec ion. This p ojec is one s ep in his
di ec ion answe ing he ollowing esea ch ques ions:
1. A e U.S. EER Ph.D. p og ams os e ing he equi able ecogni ion o di e se
knowledges om he educa ion spaces?
2. A e he p og ams adequa ely p epa ing schola s o s ewa d a mul i ace ed and
complex discipline?
3. To wha deg ee a e U.S. EER Ph.D. g adua es o mally p epa ed (as e idenced
by cou ses) in he dep h and b ead h o he di e en educa ion science disciplines?
4. And in jux aposi ion o o he echnical enginee ing Ph.D. p og ams, o wha
deg ee a e EER Ph.D. p og ams as comp ehensi e in hei Ph.D. o ma ion as o he
enginee ing disciplines a e comp ehensi e in hei Ph.D. o ma ion (as e idenced by
equi emen s o admission and p epa a ion h ough cou sewo k).
Add essing hese ques ions is essen ial o ensu ing ha Enginee ing Educa ion
eaches i s ull po en ial as an in e disciplina y domain capable o shaping u u e
inno a o s, educa o s, and leade s.
3 LITERATURE REVIEW
The li e a u e e iew ouches on he wo heo e ical amewo ks (1) s ewa dship and
(2) epis emic injus ice.
3.1 S ewa dship
S ewa dship in doc o al educa ion has ecei ed inc easing a en ion as a guiding
amewo k o cul i a ing schola s who no only con ibu e o he knowledge base o
hei discipline bu also nu u e i s u u e i ali y. Richa dson (2006) i s a icula ed
he concep by emphasizing ha doc o al g adua es should be “s ewa ds o he
ield,” aking esponsibili y o he in eg i y and e olu ion o hei disciplines. This
esponsibili y ex ends beyond knowledge p oduc ion, encompassing he p ese a ion
o in ellec ual s anda ds, he men o ing o new schola s, and he e hical leade ship
wi hin p o essional communi ies. Es es and Ge main (2016) build on Richa dson’s
wo k by examining he ole o p o essional academic socie ies as pi o al s ewa ds o
u u e disciplina y de elopmen . They a gue ha hese socie ies can b idge he gap
be ween indi idual esea che s and b oade disciplina y needs, o e ing s uc u ed
p og ams, ne wo king oppo uni ies, and pla o ms o sha ing eme ging esea ch.
Such collec i e e o s help o de ine, s eng hen, and legi imize he co e alues and
knowledge domains o a discipline.
Meanwhile, Lawson (2016) highligh s he impo ance o “c oss-bounda y leade ship”
in s ewa dship, posi ing ha leade s in doc o al educa ion mus e ec i ely span he
bo de s be ween academia, indus y, and wide communi ies. This c oss-sec o
collabo a ion os e s b oade ele ance o doc o al esea ch and encou ages mo e
inclusi e de ini ions o disciplina y expe ise. In he con ex o Enginee ing Educa ion
Resea ch (EER), hese s ewa dship p inciples become pa icula ly salien because
EER is uniquely posi ioned a he in e sec ion o enginee ing, social sciences, and
educa ional esea ch. Jesiek, Newswande , and Bo ego (2009) desc ibed he
complexi ies o EER as a “discipline, communi y, o ield,” no ing ha i s ela i ely
ecen eme gence necessi a es s ong s ewa dship o es ablish sus ainable schola ly
p ac ices and obus amewo ks o inqui y. The posi ioning o EER wi hin
enginee ing colleges a he han schools o educa ion can c ea e ensions a ound
epis emological bounda ies, as well as ques ions o legi imacy and igo .
S ewa dship in his space he e o e en ails econciling di e ing expec a ions o
esea ch me hodology, publica ion, and schola ly impac . God ey and Pa ke (2010)
ex end his con e sa ion by examining he cul u al landscape in enginee ing
educa ion, highligh ing how disciplina y cul u es can acili a e o hinde he
in eg a ion o educa ional esea ch wi hin enginee ing. Thei wo k sugges s ha
cul u e-shaping mechanisms—such as acc edi a ion s anda ds, acul y hi ing
p ac ices, and depa men al ewa d s uc u es—can ei he ein o ce o challenge
adi ional hie a chies o knowledge. Hence, e ec i e s ewa dship in EER in ol es
ac i ely shaping a cul u e ha alues pedagogical inno a ion, di e se
epis emological app oaches, and he cul i a ion o a schola ly communi y commi ed
o imp o ing enginee ing educa ion. Taken oge he , hese s udies unde sco e ha
doc o al p og ams ha e a cen al ole in p epa ing u u e s ewa ds, pa icula ly in
eme ging o in e disciplina y ields like EER. By impa ing bo h disciplina y expe ise
and leade ship skills, doc o al p og ams can os e schola s who ad oca e o
inclusi e, e hically g ounded esea ch p ac ices and who champion c oss-bounda y
collabo a ions. Key s a egies include embedding s ewa dship p inciples in cu icula,
suppo ing p o essional socie ies as communi y hubs, and cul i a ing en i onmen s
ha encou age c i ical e lec ion on disciplina y no ms. In doing so, doc o al
p og ams can ul il hei esponsibili y o p epa ing no only adep esea che s bu
also leade s who will sus ain and ad ance hei ields o gene a ions o come.
3.2 Epis emic Injus ice
Epis emic jus ice, b oadly unde s ood, conce ns he ai and equi able ea men o
indi iduals as knowe s and con ibu o s o knowledge. Wi hin his ield, schola s
ha e iden i ied mul iple in e ela ed o ms o epis emic injus ice— es imonial,
he meneu ical, and con ibu o y— ha occu when pa icula g oups a e dismissed,
misunde s ood, o sys ema ically denied he esou ces o make sense o hei
expe iences. Gonzales, Pasque, Fa is, and Hansen (2024), in hei sys ema ic
e iew o doc o al educa ion, highligh how es imonial injus ice mani es s when a
speake ’s c edibili y is de la ed due o p ejudices abou hei iden i y o backg ound.
While he au ho s p o ide examples such as he dismissal o ce ain pe spec i es
due o ace, e hnici y and upb inging, we a gue he e ha he same mechanism holds
ue when and how he ield o enginee ing educa ion esea ch engages wi h
esea che s om educa ional o social science backg ound as hei aining, insigh s,
li ed expe iences and i s hand accoun s a e ende ed less belie able because o
lack o enginee ing expe ience o example.
These au ho s also d aw a en ion o he meneu ical injus ice, e iden when
ins i u ional s uc u es ail o p o ide he concep ual ools o suppo i e en i onmen s
needed o a icula e o in e p e ce ain expe iences—especially hose eme ging
om ma ginalized social posi ions - he e we a gue he b ead h and dep h o
educa ion sciences as ma ginalized in he con ex o enginee ing educa ion.
Examples migh be ound in a doc o al cu iculum ha lacks language o amewo ks
o discussing cu iculum o he sys ema ic design and e alua ion o in e en ions,
misalignmen o heo ies wi h aims o s udies due o lack o discou se on he heo y
i sel o name a ew. Ph.D. g adua es a e hen s anded wi hou a ecognized
ocabula y o name, analyse, o seek suppo o he pa e ns.
Do son’s (2012) wo k on “epis emic opp ession” u he expands hese ideas by
a icula ing he concep o con ibu o y injus ice. This a ises when dominan
communi ies no only dismiss ma ginalized epis emologies bu ac i ely cons ain
hei abili y o shape collec i e unde s anding. Con ibu o y injus ice in doc o al
p og ams in EER could be he sys ema ic exclusion o pa icula esea ch and
disciplina y discou ses in doc o al aining om equi ed cou se eadings o key
schola ly publica ions. Examples could be he dismissal o o he discipline-based
educa ion esea ch such as chemis y and physics educa ion esea ch o he la es
example in he decla a ion ha enginee ing educa ion esea ch needs a handbook o
enginee ing educa ion esea ch me hods (implici ly a guing ha educa ion esea ch
me hods in gene al ha e limi ed applicabili y). By omi ing pe spec i es o decla ing
ce ain discou ses less ele an , academic ga ekeepe s limi he discipline’s scope o
inqui y, es ic in ellec ual exchange and he e o e p omo e in ellec ual inces , and
s i le he possibili y o meaning ul, inclusi e in ellec ual dialogue wi h o he
disciplines. Bysko (2021) e ines he basis o calling hese exclusions an “injus ice,”
emphasizing ha epis emic jus ice is no only abou p e en ing ha m o knowe s bu
also abou ensu ing pa icipa o y pa i y in meaning-making. When ce ain oices and
expe iences a e indeed sys ema ically sidelined, he b oade knowledge ecosys em
loses c i ical insigh s and oppo uni ies o inno a ion. Consequen ly, epis emic
injus ices a e no me ely indi idual sligh s bu collec i e ha ms ha unde mine he
legi imacy and impac o schola ly inqui y.
4 METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK AND METHODS
The esea ch eam cu a ed a i ac s om 18 EER Ph.D. p og ams in he US. The
collec ed a i ac s included cu icula, ad e ising ma e ial, and Ph.D. handbooks. In
addi ion, he same a i ac s we e collec ed om wo di e en Ph.D. p og ams in each
o he 18 uni e si ies: one in ano he DBER a ea (science, biology, physics,
chemis y educa ion) and one in a adi ional non-educa ion-o ien ed Ph.D. p og am
in enginee ing (such as Mechanical, Elec ical). Once all ma e ials we e collec ed, a
p o ile o each Ph.D. p og am, including admissions c i e ia, equi ed cou sewo k,
and c i e ia o comple ion, was c ea ed. The p o ile’s in o ma ion lis ed he numbe
o equi ed cou ses o each p og am (EER, DBER, and a adi ional non-educa ion-
o ien ed enginee ing ield). In addi ion, he eam included he cou sewo k ha was
pa o he admissions c i e ia such as when a bachelo o mas e in enginee ing o
ela ed ield was equi ed. The equi ed cou sewo k included he numbe o
enginee ing, educa ion, and me hods cou ses. Once all da a was collec ed, he eam
p oceeded o make compa isons o cou se equi emen s in e ms o he numbe o
enginee ing, educa ion, and me hods cou ses among he h ee di e en p og ams.
The compa isons included enginee ing cou ses equi ed in Enginee ing (ENG)
p og ams e sus he numbe o educa ion cou ses equi ed in Enginee ing
Educa ion Resea ch (EER) p og ams, ollowed by a compa ison o he numbe o
equi ed educa ion cou ses in EER e sus he numbe o equi ed educa ion cou ses
in Educa ion (EDU) p og ams. Las ly, he numbe o equi ed me hods cou ses was
compa ed be ween he EER and he EDU cou ses. In an addi ional s ep, he eam
p oduced a compa a i e case s udy analysis wi h p ima ily desc ip i e s a is ics
which esul ed in asse ions.
5 CONTEXT
This s udy is si ua ed in he US speci ic no ms/ adi ions o Ph.D. Educa ion: In he
US, Ph.D. s uden s a e gene ally admi ed by a depa men a he han di ec ly by
indi idual ad iso s. The U.S. Ph.D. sys em ypically begins wi h a hea y emphasis
on cou sewo k, las ing app oxima ely wo yea s, designed o p o ide ounda ional
knowledge and p epa e s uden s o quali ying exams. In enginee ing educa ion
Ph.D. p og ams, he cou sewo k spans h ee disciplina y a eas: educa ion con en
(such as lea ning heo ies; cu iculum; inequi ies in STEM educa ion and educa ional
leade ship o name a ew), human subjec esea ch me hodology/me hods, and
enginee ing. While educa ion and human subec me hodology cou ses a e cen al o
shaping schola s in he ield, enginee ing cou ses a e o en aken no o hei
in ellec ual con ibu ion o he educa ion esea ch ye o signal c edibili y wi hin
enginee ing depa men s.
6 RESULTS
The esul s o his p elimina y analysis a e p ima ily ocused on desc ip i e s a is ics
compa ing EER Ph.D. p og ams o o he educa ion Ph.D. p og ams and compa ing
EER Ph.D. p og ams o o he echnical enginee ing Ph.D. p og ams based on
equi ed cou ses in espec i e a eas such as me hodology and educa ion (human
and social science) cou ses.
As Figu e 1 shows, on a e age he amoun o equi ed esea ch me hodology
cou ses o p epa e o human and social science esea ch is signi ican ly less
compa ed o o he educa ion p og ams (DBER and non-DBER). As shown in Figu e
2, when compa ing he a e age equi ed educa ion cou ses in educa ion Ph.D.
p og ams compa ed o EER p og ams, educa ion Ph.D. p og ams equi e
conside ably mo e educa ion cou ses compa ed o EER Ph.D. p og ams.
Fig. 1. Compa ison o Me hodology Cou ses
be ween Educa ion p og ams and EER
p og ams
Fig. 2. Compa ison o he A e age
Educa ion Cou ses equi ed be ween
Educa ion and EER p og ams
Now, when compa ing enginee ing Ph.D. p og ams (such as mechanical, elec ical
enginee ing p og ams): Figu e 3 shows a compa ison o equi ed enginee ing
cou ses in o he echnical enginee ing Ph.D. p og ams compa ed o he amoun o
educa ion cou ses equi ed in enginee ing educa ion (EER) PhD. P og ams. Wha
he da a show is on a e age he enginee ing Ph.D. s uden ecei es mo e han wice
he o mal aining in enginee ing han an enginee ing educa ion Ph.D. ecei es
o mal aining in educa ion subjec a eas.
Figu e 4 goes a s ep u he by aking in o accoun he equi ed p e equisi es in
o mal educa ion be o e en e ing he espec i e Ph.D. p og ams. Nea ly all EER
Ph.D. p og ams equi e ei he a bachelo and/o mas e in enginee ing o ela ed
subjec while only one o he EER Ph.D. p og am equi e any o mal aining
backg ound in any subjec o educa ion. Technical enginee ing Ph.D. p og ams
equi e howe e bachelo and/o mas e in enginee ing o ela ed subjec s as
p e equisi e o en e ing hei Ph.D. p og ams. The eam conse a i ely added he
amoun o enginee ing cou ses o a bachelo and espec i ely mas e (when lis ed
as equi ed) o he coun o enginee ing classes. The compa ison e eals a
signi ican di e ence be ween hese p og am ypes: Enginee ing Ph.D. P og ams on
a e age, equi e app oxima ely 79.5 enginee ing cou ses, while EER Ph.D.
p og ams equi e, on a e age, app oxima ely 6.6 educa ion cou ses. This subs an ial
di e ence (mo e han 12 imes as many cou ses) highligh s he di e en ocus a eas
o hese p og am ypes. Enginee ing p og ams a e hea ily concen a ed on
enginee ing cou sewo k, while EER p og ams include educa ion cou ses as jus one
componen o hei cu iculum and i ually no p e equisi es in educa ion o o he
human o social s udies subjec s.
Fig. 3. Compa ison o Enginee ing cou ses in
Enginee ing Ph.D. s. Educa ion cou ses in
EER Ph.D. P og ams
Fig. 4. Compa ison o Requi ed
Cou ses in Enginee ing Ph.D. s
EER PhD. (including equi ed
unde g ad + mas e )
7 DISCUSSION, CONCLUSIONS AND LIMITATIONS
The indings om his s udy illumina e a signi ican and oubling disc epancy
be ween Enginee ing Educa ion Resea ch (EER) Ph.D. p og ams and hei
coun e pa s in bo h adi ional enginee ing and o he educa ion-based disciplines.
While EER p og ams claim o be in e disciplina y, oo ed in bo h enginee ing and
educa ion, he cu icula da a analysed he e sugges a p o ound imbalance.
Educa ion, as a domain o schola ly inqui y, appea s o be ma ginalized— ea ed no
as a igo ous and complex discipline in i s own igh , bu a he as an ancilla y skill
se , a seconda y conce n o be appended ligh ly o he echnical co e o enginee ing
expe ise. This posi ioning unde mines no only he epis emological in eg i y o
enginee ing educa ion as a ield bu also i s u u e po en ial o disciplina y g ow h,
inno a ion, and c edibili y.
One o he pa e ns obse ed is he d ama ically lowe numbe o educa ion- ela ed
cou ses equi ed in EER p og ams compa ed o he enginee ing cou ses equi ed in
adi ional enginee ing Ph.D. p og ams. This dispa i y— oughly a wel e old
di e ence—sends a clea message abou he ela i e alua ion o disciplina y dep h.
T adi ional enginee ing Ph.D. s uden s a e imme sed in hei domain h ough yea s
o o mal aining, beginning wi h igo ous unde g adua e and mas e ’s-le el
p epa a ion. In con as , EER Ph.D. p og ams la gely assume educa ional expe ise
can be acqui ed in a hand ul o cou ses, i a all, wi h only one o he 18 p og ams
equi ing any o mal backg ound in educa ion as a p e equisi e. This s ands in s a k
con as o he expec a ions placed on enginee ing con en mas e y.
F om he lens o epis emic injus ice, his pa e n is deeply p oblema ic: by minimizing
exposu e o educa ion science and ailing o equi e adequa e ounda ional expe ise
in i , EER p og ams con ibu e o a sys emic unde aluing o educa ional knowledge.
In doing so, hey isk ep oducing he e y hie a chies ha he ield, in heo y, seeks
o challenge. The absence o educa ion as a igo ous, mul i ace ed discou se
e ec i ely sidelines en i e bodies o knowledge and ways o knowing. G adua es o
EER Ph.D. p og ams may hus be ill-equipped o meaning ully engage wi h o
con ibu e o he educa ion esea ch communi y, he eby po en ially ein o cing he
ma ginaliza ion o educa ion sciences wi hin enginee ing con ex s.
This s uc u al epis emic ma ginaliza ion also unde mines he s ewa dship po en ial
o EER Ph.D. g adua es. Richa dson (2006) a gues ha doc o al s uden s should be
p epa ed o ac as s ewa ds o hei discipline, no me ely consume s o knowledge
bu ca e ake s and ad oca es o i s u u e g ow h and in eg i y. S ewa dship
demands a deep unde s anding o one’s own disciplina y his o y, heo e ical
amewo ks, me hodological di e si y, and e hical commi men s. Ye , i EER
p og ams do no os e deep engagemen wi h educa ion science—i hey ea i as
a oolbox a he han a complex ield—how can hey p epa e g adua es o s ewa d
an in e disciplina y ield ha d aws hea ily om educa ion?
Ins ead, EER p og ams appea o o e a ac u ed o m o s ewa dship—one ha
p i ileges echnical luency in enginee ing while ma ginalizing he educa ional
heo ies, adi ions, and deba es necessa y o comp ehensi e unde s anding o
eaching and lea ning and la ge educa ional sys ems and policies. This asymme y
e lec s a deepe cul u al issue: This o ien a ion pe pe ua es a iew o educa ion as
“so ,” less igo ous, o e en in ui i e— equi ing less o mal aining o heo e ical
g ounding and he e o e no a ue in ellec ual pa ne .
Ou analysis has e ealed a undamen al con adic ion a he hea o EER doc o al
educa ion: while he ield aspi es o be in e disciplina y, i s o mal s uc u es sugges
a de alua ion o educa ion as a se ious schola ly pu sui . This disc epancy limi s he
ield’s abili y o p epa e s ewa ds who a e educa ionally luen . I EER is o ul il i s
p omise as a ans o ma i e, bounda y-spanning discipline, i s doc o al p og ams
mus mo e ully in eg a e he b ead h and dep h o educa ion sciences—no as an
add-on, bu as a co e pilla o schola ly o ma ion. Wi hou such a shi , he ield isks
ep oducing he e y inequi ies and hie a chies i seeks o dis up , and in doing so,
may al e in i s mission o meaning ully imp o e enginee ing educa ion.
This s udy elies solely on published cu icula, which may no ully cap u e he
in o mal o hidden p io i ies Ph.D. p og ams place on educa ion. As such, i may
o e look in e nal discussions, men o ing p ac ices, and cul u al no ms ha in luence
how educa ion is alued wi hin enginee ing educa ion p og ams.
