This book uses a mixed-method approach to address the topic of personal epistemology among Chinese engineering doctoral students from U.S. institutions. It presents a broad view of the epistemological development among Chinese engineering students from five U.S. Midwestern doctoral programs. At the same time it provides deep insights into the thinking styles and behavioral patterns for each particular epistemological developmental stage and offers practical examples from students' academic experiences in these programs. It allows readers to gain an understanding of Chinese engineering students' academic lives in U.S. institutions through a solid cognitive theoretical lens. It also highlights a number of factors that can potentially facilitate adult students' cognitive development, and extends the discussion on the benefits of study-abroad and cross-cultural education for the epistemological domain.

Autorentext
Dr. Jiabin Zhu is an Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Her primary research interests relate to engineering education, graduate education, and students' cognitive development. She has published multiple peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Journal of Engineering Education, Advances in Engineering Education. For her work on the cognitive development of Chinese engineering doctoral students in U.S. institutions, she received the 2013 Doctoral Thesis Award from the School of Engineering Education, Purdue University. Jiabin Zhu obtained a Ph.D. in Engineering Education and a M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Purdue University. She received another M.S. in Optics from Chinese Academy of Sciences and a B.S. in Physics from East China Normal University.

Inhalt

1. Influx of International Talents in the United States: An Introduction.- 2. Epistemological Developmental Theories.- 3. Measurement on Personal Epistemological Development.- 4. Personal Epistemology in Application.- Chapter 5. Developing a Valid Survey for Personal Epistemology.- 6. A Mixed-Method Research Design.- 7. Overall Profiles of Epistemological Development.- 8. Factors Related to Epistemological Development.- 9. Stories of Chinese Engineering Doctoral Students' Epistemological Thinking Styles.- 10. Factors Associated with Advanced Epistemological Thinking.- 11. Lessons Learned and Future Directions.