LEARNING IN PUBLIC AND A PATH TOWARDS METHODOLOGICAL ACTIVISM: A CONVERSATION ON EQUITY RESEARCH

Abstract

In this position paper, we propose ways that the engineering education research community can engage in a form of methodological activism whereby researchers intentionally choose methods for the political purpose of empowering marginalized populations. We discuss the evolution of our thinking on these topics in a manner which we call “learning in public.” We start this narrative with the federally funded working conference that brought us together as a research team and offer a call to action through discussion of theory, methods, and research questions that encompass methodological activism. We acknowledge that many disincentives exist to making these changes, and we offer fellow researchers encouragement and support in the form of a formal research citation; the provision of substantive ideas for critical framings in association with a peer-reviewed publication is significant. We assert that adoption of these research practices, facilitated through the conscious deployment of scholarly credibility, will push the field towards a more justice-oriented research practice. We invite other researchers to join us in this aim, as we join those already conducting such work. We hope this publication will spark continued debate and evolution will occur through future discussions and critiques.