The powerful construction of norms within sophomore engineering

The second largest attrition rate during an undergraduate engineering degree occurs during the second (sophomore) year. Students who persist past the first year of engineering school find themselves at a transitional, stressful, and competitive turning point as they enter the final math and physics requirements for their degrees. We adopt an ethnographic approach to investigate the environments of critical engineering mathematics gateway courses in second (sophomore) year that serve as prerequisite barriers to subsequent coursework and eventual graduation. Utilizing classroom observation and semi-structured interviews with students and instructors, we have a rich dataset to analyze through three intersecting conceptual frameworks: critical ethnography, cultural analysis, and actor-network theory (ANT). The concept of a cultural norm is paramount to our analysis, basically anything that becomes "normal" to a cultural unit such as an engineering classroom. This paper describes our ongoing analyses that aspire to uncover the processes wherein cultural norms are created, maintained, challenged, adjusted, and reinforced in everyday classroom practice. We seek to understand the powerful impact of these cultural norms on students\´ desires to remain in engineering majors past sophomore year.