Integrating Cultural Sensitivity and Indigenous Knowledge in Engineering Education: Adaptive Approaches to Problem-Solving and Growth Mindset

Cultural sensitivity and the incorporation of indigenous knowledge systems play a significant role in the initial stages of the engineering design process, particularly in problem identification, which sets the foundation for all subsequent problem-solving efforts.Despite a large body of literature on engineering problem-solving methodologies, there appears to be a research gap in how cultural contexts and indigenous perspectives influence the early stages of problem identification 1, 2, 3, underscoring the need for studies into such aspects of problem identification.This study explores how first-year engineering students develop problem-identification skills through the lens of indigenizing engineering education, aiming to weave indigenous knowledge and cultural perspectives seamlessly into the curriculum.By fostering a culturally inclusive mindset, our objective is to enable students with the capacity to recognize and creatively address complex environmental, sustainability, and social challenges that disproportionately impact indigenous communities.Model-eliciting activities (MEAs) 4,5,6 related to water issues will be integrated into first-year engineering courses, fostering real-world problem-identification and problemsolution skills using actual data to promote a growth mindset.Our research objectives are a) Examine how exposure to indigenous-specific environmental, sustainability and social issues impacts first-year engineering students' problem-identification, design, and problem-solving abilities.b) Identify the relationship between early exposure in a first-year engineering course and indigenous-contexts problem identification skill development.Cultural mindset development and Indigenous pedagogical principles will guide our study.We will adopt indigenous pedagogical principles 18 for a culturally responsive learning environment respecting Indigenous perspectives and values.Quantitative and qualitative data will be collected through pre-and postsurveys and student focus groups.Anticipated outcomes include substantial improvements in problem identification, design, and problem-solving abilities, fostering a culturally responsive and holistic approach among students.