Work in progress: Can Bourdieu's Habitus provide a theoretical framework for engineering education research?

Abstract

This paper explores the use of Bourdieu's Theory of Habitus as a theoretical framework for a PhD study on the dispositions enabling non-traditional students to succeed in their first year of engineering studies. It provides a review of Bourdieu's sociological Theory of Habitus and the application of this framework to higher education settings and in particular to engineering education. Bourdieu's theory of Habitus provides a framework for exploring and analyzing the behavior of individuals within a particular environment. It can provide insight into the behavior, and subsequent academic performance, of an increasingly diverse student cohort in the Australian higher education system. Bourdieu's theory offers researchers the opportunity to understand the complexity of human interactions within the education system. Moreover it is currently an underutilized tool for developing research methodologies as well as providing a framework for subsequent analysis [1].