Can values and attitudes in engineering education be regarded as unchanging matters?

Abstract

Sylvestre François Lacroix (1765-1843) composed textbooks in mathematics that turned out to be highly popular and influential over a period of fifty years. In fact with his work Lacroix contributed to the establishment of mathematics instruction in the new public system of education in France. Ranging over practically all branches of school mathematics, his textbooks were addressed to students of all degrees of mathematics instruction, and specifically, to engineers-to-be. In 1816 he wrote the volume Essais sur l’enseignement en général, et sur celui des mathématiques en particulier, ou Manière d’étudier et d’enseigner les Mathématiques. This work gathered Lacroix’s reflections on the education of sciences, in general, and of mathematics, in particular. The aim of this paper is to analyze some values and attitudes in education highlighted by Lacroix in his Essais. The discussion of some excerpts from this work reveals that Lacroix regarded as a fundamental component in the education of sciences and mathematics the transmission of values such as the search for the truth beyond prejudices, communication skills, collaborative work and lifelong learning, among others. Hence, Lacroix’s text, written nearly two centuries ago, displays values in engineering education that still hold today.