Thesis

Contextual comparing and constraining : a grounded theory study of undergraduate engineering group design projects

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Awarding institution
  • University of Strathclyde
Date of award
  • 2025
Thesis identifier
  • T17379
Person Identifier (Local)
  • 201580856
Qualification Level
Qualification Name
Department, School or Faculty
Abstract
  • Engineering design projects are significant components of engineering undergraduate students’ programmes and can be transformative in developing important professional competencies such as communication and teamwork skills. This study contributes to the limited knowledge in qualitative research into undergraduate engineering design projects by exploring the questions: what are the prominent concerns of engineering students undertaking such design projects and how do they manage these? The study involved an exploration of undergraduate Chemical Engineering students undertaking a substantial design project at the University of Strathclyde. Student groups were observed in supervisory meetings to sensitise the researcher and accompany the primary data collection method of intensive interviews. Informing the approach to the study was Grounded Theory (GT) methods for analysis, these involved techniques such as initial (line-by-line) coding; memo-writing; focused coding and theoretical sampling. Following extensive coding and categorisation of concepts, data from other studies in engineering design projects conducted by Goncher (2012) and Morgan (2017) were introduced and integrated into the emerging understanding. This research demonstrated that students’ beliefs around the significance of the design projects; their socialisation with others and their expectations of the educational setting impacted their approach to design significantly. Students engaged in social processes related to comparing and constraining to manage a range of contextual factors. Comparing involved evaluating various design ideas and solutions to make sense of open-ended problems; while constraining refers to the methods used to limit the design space and context to reduce ambiguity. These processes also relate to both social dynamics (such as collaborative efforts and information sharing) and technical factors (like minimising risks and relying on models). Students use such strategies to refine their designs iteratively and align with project requirements to constrain their emergent designs. Supervisory feedback also plays a crucial role in guiding these processes, with effective feedback helping to constrain creative exploration within feasible boundaries.
Advisor / supervisor
  • Haw, Mark
  • Fletcher, Ashleigh
Resource Type
DOI
Date Created
  • 2025

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