Seeing the System, Positioning the Self: Engineering Students’ Conceptualizations of Wicked Problems

Abstract

This qualitative study focuses on how engineering technology students scope and make sense of complex problems. Systems thinking can help engineers address increasing complexity and uncertainty. Social factors including the culture of disengagement and socio/technical dualism hinder students’ holistic problem-solving approaches. In this study, we ask: How do participants conceptualize a wicked problem and the relationships within? Where and why do participants position themselves in relation to the problem? What social factors influence participants’ conceptualization of wicked problems and how? We conducted task-based interviews with sixteen engineering technology students working through a wicked problem. Interview transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. We found that students conceptualized the problem using two mental models: an interconnected iceberg model and a more linear tree model. Students positioned themselves differently in relation to stakeholders, ranging from collaborative equals to external decision-makers who engaged stakeholders in transactional ways. These differences were associated with students’ assumed decision-making power, lived experiences, and sociotechnical reasoning. We argue that systems thinking education should create learning experiences with emotional responses that encourage students to question their assumptions. We recommend future research to explore the relationship between sociotechnical systems thinking and cultural, disciplinary, and epistemological traditions to identify inhibitors, coping strategies, and leverage points, encouraging holistic problem-solving approaches.