2024-03-29T10:27:30Z
http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/do/oai/
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1070
2013-11-05T15:47:10Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
The Humanistic Side of Engineering: Considering Social Science and Humanities Dimensions of Engineering in Education and Research
Hynes, Morgan
Swenson, Jessica
research
social science
humanities
engineering education
Engineering Education
Research Article
<p>Mathematics and science knowledge/skills are most commonly associated with engineering’s pre-requisite knowledge. Our goals in this paper are to argue for a more systematic inclusion of social science and humanities knowledge in the introduction of engineering to K-12 students. As part of this argument, we present a construct for framing the humanistic<em> </em>side of engineering with illustrative examples of what appealing to the humanistic side of engineering can look like in a classroom setting, and opportunities for research that examines the dynamics the humanistic side of engineering introduces into engineering learning and teaching. The illustrative examples are drawn from interactions among student-teams from elementary classrooms engaged engineering activities that appeal to the humanistic side of engineering. Referencing these examples as well as other established engineering education programs, we will discuss opportunities for research in the education of K-16 students. These opportunities span understanding how students’ attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions, particularly among traditionally underrepresented populations, to how students’ engineering knowledge and practices develop in the context of a humanistic approach to engineering.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol3/iss2/4
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1093
2014-10-28T13:08:36Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
High and Low Computer Self-Efficacy Groups and Their Learning Behavior from Self-Regulated Learning Perspective While Engaged in Interactive Learning Modules
Santoso, Harry B.
Lawanto, Oenardi
Becker, Kurt
Fang, Ning
Reeve, Edward M.
computer self-efficacy
cognitive actions
metacognitive strategies
interactive learning modules
Cognitive Psychology
Educational Psychology
Engineering Education
Research Article
<p>The purpose of this research was to investigate high school students’ computer self-efficacy (CSE) and learning behavior in a selfregulated learning (SRL) framework while utilizing an interactive learning module. The researcher hypothesizes that CSE is reflected on cognitive actions and metacognitive strategies while the students are engaged with interactive learning modules. Two research questions guided this research: (1) how is students’ CSE while engaged in interactive learning modules? and (2) how do high and low CSE groups plan and monitor their cognitive action, and regulate their monitoring strategies based on their CSE level? The research used a mixedmethods approach to answer the research questions.</p>
<p>This study utilized a SRL framework that covered self-efficacy, cognitive actions, and metacognitive components. While self-efficacy was represented by CSE, metacognitive component was represented by planning, monitoring, and regulating strategies. Cognitive actions represent contextual activities while using interactive learning modules. One hundred students from two high schools, InTech Collegiate and Logan High Schools, completed activities in this study. Each student worked on three modules, namely Boolean Logic, Minimum Spanning Tree, and Modeling Using Graphs. Three different forms of data were gathered for analysis. These data included questionnaires, screen captured videos, and audio recordings of interviews.</p>
<p>The findings of this study revealed that the students achieved the highest average score on beginning skills compared to advanced skills and file and software skills for their CSE. Furthermore, screen-captured video analysis showed that there were different profiles of cognitive actions and metacognitive strategies between high and low CSE groups in terms of the strategy changes and duration of their strategies. Issues gathered from interview analysis between these two groups were also elaborated.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol4/iss2/3
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1089
2013-11-05T15:45:54Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Contents
Front Matter
<p>Contents.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol3/iss2/1
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1082
2014-10-08T11:09:04Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Examining Young Students’ Problem Scoping in Engineering Design
Watkins, Jessica
Spencer, Kathleen
Hammer, David
problem scoping
design
methodology
Engineering Education
Research Article
<p>Problem scoping—determining the nature and boundaries of a problem—is an essential aspect of the engineering design process. Some studies from engineering education suggest that beginning students tend to skip problem scoping or oversimplify a problem. However, the ways these studies often characterize students’ problem scoping often do not reflect the complexity found in experts’ designing and rely on the number of criteria a student mentions or the time spent problem scoping. In this paper, we argue for methodological approaches that take into account not just what students name as criteria, but also how they weigh, balance, and choose between criteria and reflect on these decisions during complex tasks. Furthermore, we discuss that these problem-scoping actions should not be considered in isolation, but also how they are connected to the pursuit of a design solution. Using data from an elementary school classroom, we show how these ways of characterizing problem-scoping can capture rich beginnings of students’ engineering.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol4/iss1/5
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1079
2013-05-09T19:15:20Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Elementary Engineering Education (EEE) Adoption and Expertise Development Framework: An Inductive and Deductive Study
Sun, Yan
Strobel, Johannes
elementary engineering education (EEE) adoption
EEE expertise development
STEM
synchronic differences
diachronic progression
Research Article
<p>Elementary engineering education (EEE) is an educational innovation. Using Rogers’s innovation diffusion model, the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM), and Dreyfus’s skill acquisition model as its theoretical frameworks, this study investigated elementary teachers’ EEE adoption and EEE expertise development. Data of this study were collected through face-to-face interviews and open-ended online surveys conducted with 73 elementary teachers who received one-week EEE training from INSPIRE, the Institute for P-12 Engineering Research and Learning at Purdue University. An analytic induction approach was adopted in the analyses of the data. Based on the data analyses results, an evidence-based EEE adoption and expertise development framework was constructed to describe the process of EEE adoption and EEE expertise development and to capture individual elementary teachers’ differences in this process. This framework includes the four-staged EEE adoption dimension and the five-staged EEE expertise development dimension. This framework is able to reveal the ‘‘synchronic differences’’ and the ‘‘diachronic progression’’ in EEE adoption and EEE expertise development. While the ‘‘synchronic differences’’ indicate elementary teachers’ different standings in the EEE adoption and EEE expertise development stages at a given time, the ‘‘diachronic progression’’ indicates progress along the stages over time. This framework is proposed to be used by EEE professional development programs to conceptualize, assess, and track their teacher learners’ standings and progress in EEE adoption and EEE expertise development for the purpose of program improvement and the purpose of providing teacher learners with effective and on-going support.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol3/iss1/4
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1108
2015-11-09T20:43:25Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Quantifying the Information Habits of High School Students Engaged in Engineering Design
Mentzer, Nathan
Fosmire, Michael J
engineering design
technology education
information literacy
information
Curriculum and Instruction
Engineering Education
Research Article
<p>stract This study measured the information gathering behaviors of high school students who had taken engineering design courses as they solved a design problem. The authors investigated what types of information students accessed, its quality, when it was accessed during the students’ process, and if it impacted their thinking during the activity. Students overwhelmingly relied on internet searching to acquire information, rather than printed materials available to them. The sites they found were generally popular rather than technical, and persuasive (i.e., trying to sell something) rather than informative. The high school students understood the need for information, as they sought a large volume of information, which they did, generally, incorporate in their solution development process, but their skill in locating high-quality information was relatively poor.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol5/iss2/3
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1050
2015-11-17T12:41:30Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Changes in Teachers’ Adaptive Expertise in an Engineering Professional Development Course
Martin, Taylor
Baker Peacock, Stephanie
Ko, Pat
Rudolph, Jennifer J.
professional development
engineering education
design-based instruction
challenge-based instruction
design engineering
adaptive expertise
innovation
efficiency
high school engineering
secondary school engineering
Research Article
<p>Although the consensus seems to be that high-school-level introductory engineering courses should focus on design, this creates a problem for teacher training. Traditionally, math and science teachers are trained to teach and assess factual knowledge and closed-ended problemsolving techniques specific to a particular discipline, which is unsuited for teaching design skills for open-ended problems that may involve multiple engineering disciplines. Instead, engineering teacher training should use the more fluid framework of adaptive expertise which values the ability to apply knowledge in innovative ways as well as recall facts and solve problems using conventional techniques. In this study, we examined a 6-week program to train math/science teachers to teach high school design engineering. For each curriculum unit, we had a pre-posttest to assess the teachers’ factual knowledge and ability to solve typical problems (termed ‘‘efficiency’’) and their ability to apply their knowledge to reason through open-ended problems (termed ‘‘innovation’’). In addition, we conducted a pre-posttest to see whether teachers’ attitudes and beliefs related to adaptive expertise changed over the course of the program.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol5/iss2/4
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1099
2015-04-29T17:44:54Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
The Promise of the Maker Movement for Education
Martin, Lee
Maker Movement
making
tools
community
mindset
Research Article
<p>The Maker Movement is a community of hobbyists, tinkerers, engineers, hackers, and artists who creatively design and build projects for both playful and useful ends. There is growing interest among educators in bringing making into K-12 education to enhance opportunities to engage in the practices of engineering, specifically, and STEM more broadly. This article describes three elements of the Maker Movement, and associated research needs, necessary to understand its promise for education: 1) digital tools, including rapid prototyping tools and low-cost microcontroller platforms, that characterize many making projects; 2) community infrastructure, including online resources and in-person spaces and events; and 3) the maker mindset, aesthetic principles, and habits of mind that are commonplace within the community. It further outlines how the practices of making align with research on beneficial learning environments.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol5/iss1/4
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1051
2013-04-25T19:37:50Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Contents
Front Matter
<p>Contents</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol2/iss1/1
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1026
2011-05-25T10:27:20Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Knowledge Integration and Wise Engineering
Chiu, Jennifer L.
Linn, M. C.
Research Article
<p>
<p>Recent efforts in engineering education focus on introducing engineering into secondary math and science courses to improve science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education (NAS, 2010). Infusing engineering into secondary classrooms can increase awareness of and interest in STEM careers, help students see the relevance of science and math in their everyday lives, and increase STEM literacy. This paper describes how the knowledge integration framework provides research-based guidelines to help secondary students develop and connect science and engineering concepts. Results from technology enhanced curriculum units demonstrate how instruction based on knowledge integration principles and patterns using the Web based Inquiry Science Environment (WISE) can infuse engineering into existing secondary science classrooms. This paper explores how the knowledge integration framework can guide curriculum development and assessment of engineering concepts and habits of mind.</p>
</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol1/iss1/2
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1059
2013-11-05T15:47:12Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Determining the Effects of Pre-College STEM Contexts on STEM Major Choices in 4-year Postsecondary Institutions Using Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling
Lee, Ahlam
Computer-based learning
Pre-College STEM Contexts
STEM Major choices
and Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling
Curriculum and Instruction
Science and Mathematics Education
Secondary Education and Teaching
Research Article
<p>Many STEM studies have focused on traditional learning contexts, such as math- and science-related learning factors, as pre-college learning predictors for STEM major choices in colleges. Few studies have considered a progressive learning activity embedded within STEM contexts. This study chose computer-based learning activities in K-12 math classrooms, as a major pre-college learning predictor for STEM major choices. Using a nationally represented sample drawn from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002/06, the purpose of this study was two-fold: (a) to investigate the influence of computer-based learning activities in math classrooms on STEM major choices in 4-year postsecondary institutions and (b) to analyze the extent to which math teacher motivation affects math performance and math self-efficacy across schools, which plays a vital role in students’ STEM major selection. The multilevel structural equation modeling revealed several findings. First, computer-based learning activities had a greater positive effect on math self-efficacy that significantly predicted the increase in the proportion of students’ STEM major choices, compared to the individual and lecture-based learning activities. Second, a positive relationship between individual-based learning activities and math performance emerged, which was associated with the high proportion of students’ STEM major choices. Third, at the high school level, math teacher motivation positively influenced math performance. These results suggest that integrating STEM contexts into traditional learning activities in math curriculum at the K-12 level would increase students’ interests in studying STEM disciplines. Equally important is enhancing math teachers’ motivation, given the fact that these teachers design and implement the math curriculum.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol3/iss2/3
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1109
2014-10-28T13:04:10Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Contents
Front Matter
<p>Contents. </p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol4/iss2/1
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1081
2013-11-05T15:46:39Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Engineering-Based Problem Solving in the Middle School: Design and Construction with Simple Machines
English, Lyn D.
Hudson, Peter
Dawes, Les
design processes
engineering-based problem solving
middle school
simple machines
Science and Mathematics Education
Research Article
<p>Incorporating engineering concepts into middle school curriculum is seen as an effective way to improve students’ problem-solving skills. A selection of findings is reported from a STEM-based unit in which students in the second year (grade 8) of a three-year longitudinal study explored engineering concepts and principles pertaining to the functioning of simple machines. The culminating activity, the focus of this paper, required the students to design, construct, test, and evaluate a trebuchet catapult. We consider findings from one of the schools, a co-educational college, where we traced the design process developments of four student groups from two classes. The students’ descriptions and explanations of the simple machines used in their catapult design are examined, together with how they rated various aspects of their engineering designs. Included in the findings are students’ understanding of how their simple machines were simulated by the resources supplied and how the machines interacted in forming a complex machine. An ability to link physical materials with abstract concepts and an awareness of design constraints on their constructions were apparent, although a desire to create a “perfect” catapult despite limitations in the physical materials rather than a prototype for testing concepts was evident. Feedback from teacher interviews added further insights into the students’ developments as well as the teachers’ professional learning. An evolving framework for introducing engineering education in the pre-secondary years is proposed.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol3/iss2/5
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1065
2012-10-12T12:36:16Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Developing a Vision of Pre-College Engineering Education
Marshall, Jill A.
Berland, Leema K.
teacher preparation
high school course
Research Article
<p>We report the results of a study focused on identifying and articulating an ‘‘epistemic foundation’’ underlying a pre-collegiate focus on engineering. We do so in the context of UTeachEngineering (UTE), a program supported in part by funding by the National Science Foundation and designed to develop a model approach to address the systematic challenges facing this work—from identifying learning goals, to certifying pre- and in-service teachers for engineering courses to developing a research-based high school engineering course. Given the systemic nature of the UTE approach, this model is positioned to serve as a starting point to further the conversation around two of the National Academy of Engineering Committee on Standards in K-12 Engineering Education (2010) central recommendations for future work in this area: (1) Identification of core ideas in engineering, and (2) creation of guidelines for instructional materials. Toward that end, project faculty and staff were interviewed and/or surveyed about their views on the goals and outcomes of engineering and engineering teacher education, as well as strategies design to reach these goals and the warrants for them. Data were analyzed following a grounded protocol. The results align well with previous efforts to identify ‘‘core engineering concepts, skills, and dispositions for K-12 education’’ (National Academy of Engineering Committee on Standards in K-12 Engineering Education, 2010, Annex to Chapter 3).</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol2/iss2/5
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1098
2014-10-28T13:11:51Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Driven by Beliefs: Understanding Challenges Physical Science Teachers Face When Integrating Engineering and Physics
Dare, Emily A
Ellis, Joshua A
Roehrig, Gillian H
physics
engineering
integration
professional development
beliefs
practices
Engineering
Secondary Education and Teaching
Teacher Education and Professional Development
Research Article
<p>It is difficult to ignore the increased use of technological innovations in today’s world, which has led to various calls for the integration of engineering into K-12 science standards. The need to understand how engineering is currently being brought to science classrooms is apparent and necessary in order to address these calls for integration. This multiphase, mixed-methods study investigated the classroom practices and beliefs of high school physical science teachers following an intensive professional development on physics and engineering integration.</p>
<p>Classroom observations showed that teachers new to incorporating engineering into their physical science classrooms often struggled to maintain focus on physics concepts, focusing instead on the development of the ‘‘soft skills’’ needed by engineers, such as teamwork or communication. Interviews and surveys further revealed the beliefs of these teachers when considering integrating engineering into physics lessons. Teachers placed student engagement and enjoyment high on their priority list when considering integrating engineering into their classroom. In addition to this somewhat driving force, three main components were identified as important when considering engineering in physical science classrooms: providing hands-on experiences for students, allowing students to apply physics concepts, and developing general problem solving skills that students can take to the ‘‘real-world.’’ While teachers identified both physics and engineering goals for their students, they realized that their students learned more about how to be an engineer.</p>
<p>Results from this study provide insight on obstacles current science teachers face as they begin to add engineering to their classrooms. Overall, teachers are motivated to bring engineering to their classrooms as a result of student enjoyment of engineering activities. This may drive the creation of teacher goals for students and determine how emphasis is placed on different goals during these engineering design challenges. Implications for this study include ascertaining knowledge about teacher beliefs prior to professional development, fostering discussions about what integration looks like in the classroom, and modeling the creation of instructional goals that include both physics and engineering content.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol4/iss2/5
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1055
2012-04-12T13:53:29Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Engineering Education in the Science Classroom: A Case Study of One Teacher’s Disparate Approach with Ability-Tracked Classrooms
Schnittka, Christine G.
engineering design
middle school
tracking
equity
Research Article
<p>Currently, unless a K-12 student elects to enroll in technology-focused schools or classes, exposure to engineering design and habits of mind is minimal. However, the <em>Framework for K-12 Science Education,</em> published by the National Research Council in 2011, includes engineering design as a new and major component of the science content to be taught by all K-12 teachers of science. This addition will likely require substantial teacher preparation in all the states that adopt the new standards that will be developed from the <em>Framework</em>. Engineering design will not be taught as just an elective to students who have prior interest in a career in engineering, but also as a habit of mind and a 21st century skill to <em>all</em> students in their regular classes. In this case study, one middle school science teacher taught an engineering design-based curriculum to two different classes of 8th grade students: a high-track and a low-track. The low-track class contained a substantial number of students with learning disabilities. Given the freedom to differentiate her teaching based on the needs of her students, the teacher provided a disparate learning environment for her lower-tracked students, and disparate learning outcomes were evident. This study is designed to begin the discussion about equity in engineering education at the K-12 level. Engineering design-based science instruction can level the playing field for students with learning differences if teachers are prepared for the challenge.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol2/iss1/5
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1116
2017-03-03T15:03:16Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Reading and Engineering: Elementary Students’ Co-Application of Comprehension Strategies and Engineering Design Processes
Wilson-Lopez, Amy
Gregory, Stacie
Larsen, Victor
engineering education
literacy instruction
engineering design
Engineering Education
Research Article
<p>For decades, researchers have asserted that K–12 teachers should embed reading comprehension instruction within each academic discipline, including ‘‘technical subjects’’ such as engineering. Recently, this assertion has become a source of controversy among researchers and practitioners who believe that time spent on teaching reading comprehension strategies may detract from time spent on more authentic activities such as engineering design. The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate whether and how elementary students’ applications of comprehension strategies overlapped with their application of engineering design processes. The authors provided comprehension strategy instruction to 57 third- and fifth-grade students as they read texts describing problems that could be solved through engineering. The authors used constant comparative methods to analyze students’ comments from small-group and whole-class discussions about the texts. A former reading teacher with a PhD in literacy education identified students’ application of reading comprehension strategies, while a former engineer with a PhD in engineering education identified their application of engineering design processes. The analysis indicated that 80.5% of comments that were coded as ‘‘comprehension strategy’’ were also coded as ‘‘engineering design process.’’ Particular comprehension strategies tended to co-occur with particular engineering design processes. This study challenges the assumption that time spent in applying comprehension strategies detracts from time spent in learning engineering design. Elementary students’ application of comprehension strategies occurred in conjunction with their application of engineering design processes, suggesting that comprehension strategy instruction and engineering design instruction can be conceptualized as complementary rather than competing.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol6/iss2/3
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1024
2011-04-29T17:23:37Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Contents
Front Matter
<p>Contents</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol1/iss1/1
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1087
2015-04-29T17:43:51Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Math, Science, and Engineering Integration in a High School Engineering Course: A Qualitative Study
Valtorta, Clara G
Berland, Leema K.
math science engineering integration
engineering integration
high school engineering
K-12 engineering
Curriculum and Instruction
Education
Engineering
Engineering Education
Science and Mathematics Education
Research Article
<p>Engineering in K-12 classrooms has been receiving expanding emphasis in the United States. The integration of science, mathematics, and engineering is a benefit and goal of K-12 engineering; however, current empirical research on the efficacy of K-12 science, mathematics, and engineering integration is limited. This study adds to this growing field, using discourse analysis techniques to examine whether and why students integrate math and science concepts into their engineering design work. The study focuses on student work during a unit from a high school engineering course. Video data were collected during the unit and were used to identify episodes of students discussing math and science concepts. Using discourse analysis, the authors found that students successfully applied math and science concepts to their engineering design work without teacher prompting when the concepts were familiar. However, explicit teacher prompting and instruction regarding the integration of less familiar concepts did not seem to facilitate student use of those concepts. Possible explanations and implications are discussed.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol5/iss1/3
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1028
2011-05-25T10:19:31Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Middle-and High-School Students’ Interest in Nanoscale Science and Engineering Topics and Phenomena
Hutchinson, Kelly
Bodner, George M.
Bryan, Lynn
Research Article
<p>
<p>Research has shown that an increase in students’ interest in science and engineering can have a positive effect on their achievement (Baird, 1986; Eccles & Wigfield, 2002; French, Immekus & Oakes, 2005; Schiefele, Krapp, & Winteler, 1992; Schwartz Bloom & Haplin, 2003; Weinburgh, 1995). Whereas many NSF-funded programs in materials science and nanotechnology have included efforts to develop curriculum materials for use in secondary or tertiary classrooms, relatively little work has been done to determine the topics that increase students’ interest in science, engineering, and technology. As part of the work done by the National Center for Learning and Teaching in Nanoscale Science and Engineering (NCLT, 2008), we examined middle-school and high school students’ interest in topics and phenomena from the field of nanoscale science and engineering (NSE). Analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data suggested that students were most interested in topics and phenomena that related to their everyday lives, were novel, and involved manipulatives. Conversely, students were least interested in topics and phenomena they viewed as irrelevant to their lives, they believed they had learned previously, and in which they were not actively involved. These results were used to inform the development of curriculum materials for middle school and high school students aimed at enhancing the learning of NSE topics.</p>
</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol1/iss1/4
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1057
2013-11-06T13:16:00Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Secondary Students' Conceptual Understanding of Engineering as a Field
Montfort, Devlin B
Brown, Shane
Whritenour, Victoria
conceptual understanding; engineering careers
Engineering Education
Research Article
<p>Researchers have long been interested in how to recruit and retain more and more diverse students into engineering programs. One consistent challenge in this research is understanding the impacts of interventions from the point of view of the student, and how their preconceptions may influence that effectiveness. This study investigated how secondary students understand the concept of engineering, including what engineering is and what engineers do. The purpose of this work was to describe students’ conceptions of engineering, and to determine how those perceptions relate to student interest in engineering careers. The investigation was founded on the theoretical framework of conceptual ecology. Students from one high school that are typically underrepresented demographically in engineering programs were interviewed about their perspective on engineering. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using the constant comparative and thematic analysis methods. Students who were interested in pursuing an engineering career generally believed that it involved hands-on building or fixing of cars, bridges or airplanes. Students who were not interested in a career in engineering discussed a broader variety of types of engineering, and more often cited altruism and inherent interest as reasons that others would pursue such careers. Most students in this study did not express very complex or rich conceptions of engineers or engineering, but their conceptual ecologies suggest that they would be resistant to changing these conceptions. This suggests that recruitment and retention programs will need to directly address students’ existing conceptions of engineering.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol3/iss2/2
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1030
2011-05-25T10:07:27Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
The Development of a Systematic Coding System for Elementary Students’ Drawings of Engineers
Weber, Nicole
Duncan, Daphne
Dyehouse, Melissa
Strobel, Johannes
Diefes-Dux, Heidi A.
Research Article
<p>
<p>The Draw an Engineer Test (DAET) is a common measure of students’ perceptions of engineers. The coding systems currently used for K-12 research are general rubrics or checklists to capture the images presented in the drawing, which leave out some of the richness of students’ perceptions, currently only captured with an accompanying student interview. The purpose of this study is to build a reliable coding system, which first establishes an inventory of pictorial elements irrespective of their potential relationship with engineering and second captures aspects of students’ engineering perceptions inductively (from the ground up) while at the same time incorporating categories from previous research. The coding system will be used to help researchers understand how young students’ perceptions of engineering, engineers, and the work of engineers evolve and are impacted by interventions. The longterm goal of this project is to create a standalone measure that can be broadly applied to diverse populations, and to create a large multi-institution student database, with both K-12 and university populations represented. This database would provide a rich dataset for better understanding common misconceptions about engineering and thus enabling the development of methods to address them.</p>
</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol1/iss1/6
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1107
2015-04-29T17:45:58Z
publication:jpeer
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publication:pupoaj
An Introduction to the Standards for Preparation and Professional Development for Teachers of Engineering
Reimers, Jackson E.
Farmer, Cheryl L
Klein-Gardner, Stacy S
professional development
literature review
standards
Other Teacher Education and Professional Development
Research Article
<p>The past 30 years have yielded a mature body of research regarding effective professional development for teachers of science and mathematics, leading to a robust selection of professional development programs for these teachers. The current emphasis on connections among science, technology, engineering, and mathematics underscores the need for similar research into the nature of effective professional development for teachers of engineering. With this in mind, this paper completes a review of the literature concerning effective professional development for teachers of engineering, both as a unique discipline and as a context for teaching and learning in other subjects. The results of this review serve as the foundation for five research-based design standards for professional development initiatives in the field of engineering education, which have been published on the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) website along with a matrix that will enable providers and consumers of engineering professional development to determine the extent to which a given program focuses on each of those standards.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol5/iss1/5
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1101
2014-05-02T12:07:23Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Contents
Front Matter
<p>Contents.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol4/iss1/1
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1037
2011-10-31T13:43:00Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
‘‘Math in a Can’’: Teaching Mathematics and Engineering Design
Narode, Ronald B.
Research Article
<p>Using an apparently simple problem, ‘‘Design a cylindrical can that will hold a liter of milk,’’ this paper demonstrates how engineeringdesign may facilitate the teaching of the following ideas to secondary students: linear and non-linear relationships; basic geometry ofcircles, rectangles, and cylinders; unit measures of area and volume; solving systems of equations with at least two variables;minimization of area to control materials costs and to prevent heat exchange; packing geometry to minimize space for transportation andstorage and for controlling for heat exchange; golden ratio as a design aesthetic; ergonomic factors in design including considerations ofcomfort of handling and safety; and strength of design for stacking and handling as well as for the prevention of accidental tipping. Thisinterdisciplinary curriculum uses engineering design challenges to engage students with meaningful and fun group activities anddiscussions that also teach a multitude of diverse and powerful mathematical concepts.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol1/iss2/3
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1090
2014-10-28T13:05:45Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Gender Differences in the Consistency of Middle School Students’ Interest in Engineering and Science Careers
Ing, Marsha
Aschbacher, Pamela R
Tsai, Sherry M
engineering
science
career
gender
Engineering Education
Science and Mathematics Education
Research Article
<p>This longitudinal study analyzes survey responses in seventh, eighth, and ninth grade from diverse public school students (<em>n</em> = 482) to explore gender differences in engineering and science career preferences. Females were far more likely to express interest in a science career (31%) than an engineering career (13%), while the reverse was true for males (58% in engineering, 39% in science). After controlling for student and school demographic characteristics, females were as consistent as males in their science career interests during the three years of the study but less consistent in their engineering career interests. Knowing an engineer significantly predicted consistent career interest in engineering for males but not for females. Childhood interest in science and engineering was related to whether females and males expressed any interest in those subjects. Females and males both showed interest for careers where they can discover new things that help the environment or people’s health; females were less interested in designing and inventing, solving problems, and using technology. These findings suggest that increasing the number of diverse students who pursue engineering careers may require introducing students from early elementary to middle school to engineering as an array of careers that can improve health, happiness, and safety, and make the world a better place.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol4/iss2/2
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1072
2014-04-30T11:13:03Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Shoot For The Moon! The Mentors and the Middle Schoolers Explore the Intersection of Design Thinking and STEM
Carroll, Maureen P, Ph.D.
STEM education
middle school learning
design thinking
mentorship
STEM careers
Education
Engineering
Science and Mathematics Education
Research Article
<p>This paper describes the journey of a group of university students as they worked with underserved middle school students as mentors in a STEM-based afterschool program. Design thinking provided a frame within which students learned how to be mentors, how to create user-centered learning experiences, and how to share their experiences as developing STEM professionals with middle school students.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol4/iss1/3
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1078
2013-04-18T11:58:36Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Designing for STEM Integration
Berland, Leema K.
curriculum design
Research Article
<p>We are increasingly seeing an emphasis on STEM integration in high school classrooms such that students will learn and apply relevant math and science content while simultaneously developing engineering habits of mind. However, research in both science education and engineering education suggests that this goal of truly integrating STEM is rife with challenges. As such, this paper reports upon the efforts of an NSF-funded project to translate the lessons learned in science classrooms—in which the science learning goals are contextualized within engineering challenges—to engineering classrooms—in which the engineering practices are an additional, and important, learning goal. In particular, this paper identifies design principles for facilitating student application of math and science concepts while they engage in the practices of engineering. We explain the intent and learning theories behind each principle. In addition, we reify each goal by illustrating its application in our yearlong engineering course.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol3/iss1/3
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1102
2015-11-09T20:42:36Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Effect of an Engineering Camp on Students’ Perceptions of Engineering and Technology
Hammack, Rebekah
Ivey, Toni A
Utley, Juliana
High, Karen A
K-12 engineering education
middle school
conceptions
outreach
attitudes
Engineering Education
Science and Mathematics Education
Research Article
<p>Students’ knowledge about a profession influences their future decisions about careers. Research indicates that students tend to hold stereotypical views of engineers, which would hinder engineering as a career choice. The purpose of this study was to measure how participating in a week long engineering summer camp affected middle school students’ (N519) attitudes towards engineering and their conceptions of engineering and technology. Results indicate that participation in the programs had a positive impact on the students’ understandings of what technology is and the work engineers do. Although the results indicate a positive impact on participants, it is not clear which components of the camp contributed to this change. The partnership between practicing middle school teachers and engineering faculty was important to the success of the camp, revealing the benefits of collaborative efforts between K-12 educators and engineering professionals.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol5/iss2/2
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1069
2014-04-30T11:12:00Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
A Framework for Quality K-12 Engineering Education: Research and Development
Moore, Tamara J.
Glancy, Aran W.
Tank, Kristina M.
Kersten, Jennifer A.
Smith, Karl A.
Stohlmann, Micah S.
definition of K-12 engineering
design-based research
Engineering Education
Research Article
<p>Recent U.S. national documents have laid the foundation for highlighting the connection between science, technology, engineering and mathematics at the K-12 level. However, there is not a clear definition or a well-established tradition of what constitutes a quality engineering education at the K-12 level. The purpose of the current work has been the development of a framework for describing what constitutes a quality K-12 engineering education. The framework presented in this paper is the result of a research project focused on understanding and identifying the ways in which teachers and schools implement engineering and engineering design in their classrooms. The development of the key indicators that are included in the framework were determined based on an extensive review of the literature, established criteria for undergraduate and professional organizations, document content analysis of state academic content standards in science, mathematics, and technology, and in consultation with experts in the fields of engineering and engineering education. The framework is designed to be used as a tool for evaluating the degree to which academic standards, curricula, and teaching practices address the important components of a quality K-12 engineering education. Additionally, this framework can be used to inform the development and structure of future K-12 engineering and STEM education standards and initiatives.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol4/iss1/2
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1062
2013-02-28T12:07:33Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
A Model for Professional Development to Promote Engineering Design as an Integrative Pedagogy within STEM Education
Donna, Joel D.
STEM
integration
engineering
professional development
Research Article
<p>Engineering design activities can help educators to apply concepts and processes from within and across STEM domains. To facilitate these connections, there is a need for sustained, job-embedded, and collegial professional development that brings together teachers from across STEM domains to engage in design-based activities. These activities can help teachers better understand engineering design processes and can foster collaborations. This can lead to a culture shift within the school by which integration of STEM concepts and process becomes more seamless for both educators and their students. This paper describes a research-based model for professional development to promote engineering pedagogy to support learning of STEM concepts within and across domains.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol2/iss2/2
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1029
2011-05-25T10:15:33Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Problems Associated with a Lack of Cohesive Policy in K-12 Pre-college Engineering
Chandler, John
Fontenot, A. Dean
Tate, Derrick
Research Article
<p>
<p>This article identifies a number of issues associated with current STEM education reform efforts, especially with regard to efforts to integrate engineering education into the K-12 curriculum. Precollege engineering is especially problematic in STEM reform since there is no well-established tradition of engineering in the K-12 curriculum. This discussion aims at identifying some of the issues and problems that serve to impede implementation of engineering education in the K-12 environment. Historically, engineering education has been the purview of higher education, and the epistemology of engineering education has not evolved to specifically inform the exigencies of K-12 education.</p>
<p>There also are little in the way of cohesive standards that establish appropriate precollege engineering knowledge and skills and provide a framework for shared understandings, cooperative partnerships across institutional boundaries, curricular development and implementation, and teacher preparation and professional development. The lack of standards and an epistemic foundation and tradition in K-12 engineering results in significant gaps in experience and knowledge to inform implementation, which is proceeding in schools despite these glaring obstacles, driven by legislative mandate, STEM funding initiatives, workforce demand, and other compelling forces. The lack of systemic infrastructure and support mechanisms for preengineering (such as are found in the sciences, mathematics, and other academic disciplines already participating in K-12 education) have resulted in a situation in which there is no clear, generally agreed upon standards and definition of a body of engineering knowledge, skills, and activities that constitute appropriate curricular content for teaching and learning in K-12 education.</p>
</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol1/iss1/5
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1084
2015-04-29T17:42:36Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Beyond Blackboards: Engaging Underserved Middle School Students in Engineering
Blanchard, Sarah
Judy, Justina
Muller, Chandra
Crawford, Richard H.
Petrosino, Anthony J
White, Christina K.
Lin, Fu-An
Wood, Kristin L.
underrepresented minorities
robotics
after-school activities
Grand Challenges
design-based research
mixed-methods
Engineering Education
Research Article
<p><em>Beyond Blackboards</em> is an inquiry-centered, after-school program designed to enhance middle school students’ engagement with engineering through design-based experiences focused on the 21st Century Engineering Challenges. Set within a predominantly lowincome, majority-minority community, our study aims to investigate the impact of <em>Beyond Blackboards</em> on students’ interest in and understanding of engineering, as well as their ability to align their educational and career plans. We compare participants’ and nonparticipants’ questionnaire responses before the implementation and at the end of the program’s first academic year. Statistically significant findings indicate a school-wide increase in students’ interest in engineering careers, supporting a shift in school culture. However, only program participants showed increased enjoyment of design-based strategies, understanding of what engineers do, and awareness of the steps for preparing for an engineering career. These quantitative findings are supported by qualitative evidence from participant focus groups highlighting the importance of mentors in shaping students’ awareness of opportunities within engineering.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol5/iss1/2
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1077
2013-04-18T11:58:00Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Ingenuity in Action: Connecting Tinkering to Engineering Design Processes
Wang, Jennifer
Werner-Avidon, Maia
Newton, Lisa
Randol, Scott
Smith, Brooke
Walker, Gretchen
engineering
museum
informal learning
exhibit
design
open-ended problems
Research Article
<p>The Lawrence Hall of Science, a science center, seeks to replicate real-world engineering at the <em>Ingenuity in Action</em> exhibit, which consists of three open-ended challenges. These problems encourage children to engage in engineering design processes and problem-solving techniques through tinkering. We observed and interviewed 112 visitor groups at the exhibit to understand how children engage in engineering behaviors extracted from the steps of a design process and to what extent they are aware of these processes. We found that all but one group exhibited engineering behaviors, and facilitation and collaboration positively correlated with engineering behaviors. The<em> Ingenuity in Action</em> exhibit establishes a successful framework of designing for engineering learning.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol3/iss1/2
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1061
2013-04-25T19:38:03Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Contents
Front Matter
<p>Contents</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol2/iss2/1
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1063
2012-10-12T12:34:46Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Do Goals Matter in Engineering Education? An Exploration of How Goals Influence Outcomes for FIRST Robotics Participants
Skorinko, Jeanine L.
Doyle, James K.
Tryggvason, Gretar
goals
gender
robotics
social skills
social connection
Research Article
<p>It has long been recognized that engineers need a variety of skills, including technical and social, to succeed professionally. Attempts to include social skills (i.e., communication, teamwork, and leadership) in engineering education are relatively recent (i.e., within the last decade). Thus, the current study investigates whether social goals influence academic and social outcomes. Four hundred and three highschool aged robotics participants (262 male; 146 female; 22 not specified) completed a survey about their experiences in <em>FIRST</em> Prior to completing the survey, participants learned that an important goal of <em>FIRST </em> was a) social networking, b) academic learning, or c) no goal. Academic and social outcomes were assessed at the beginning and end of the season, but the goal instructions were administered only at the beginning of the season. The findings show that the goals promoted can dramatically influence social and academic outcomes. The implications this has for engineering programs are discussed.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol2/iss2/3
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1073
2018-11-15T15:59:57Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Exploring Authenticity Through an Engineering-Based Context in a Project-Based Learning Mathematics Activity
Bowen, Bradley
Peterson, Bryanne
authentic learning
project-based learning
task authenticity
mathematics education
middle grades
Educational Methods
Science and Mathematics Education
Research Article
<p>As education works to reconnect student learning to something more than standardized testing, project-based learning (PBL) has become a popular way to increase student engagement while providing more authentic applications of student knowledge. While research regarding PBL is bountiful, little has been done to connect this body of research with student perceptions regarding its classroom application, especially concerning authenticity and student engagement. This research focuses on the topic of ‘‘task authenticity’’ as a means to improve student outcomes. Two groups of seventh-grade students were presented the concept of slope and <em>y</em>-intercept in the context of engineering-based activities. The research design measures if there is a difference in student achievement and perceived importance of these mathematics concepts when presented with authentic and non-authentic approaches to the material. Given this particular methodology, the results show that although no significant difference was found in student achievement, there is a significant difference in the perception that students have regarding the importance of understanding slope and <em>y</em>-intercept.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol9/iss1/1
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1039
2013-04-03T11:23:04Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Elementary Teachers’ Views about Teaching Design, Engineering, and Technology
Hsu, Ming-Chien
Purzer, Senay
Cardella, Monica E.
Research Article
<p>While there is a growing interest in infusing engineering into elementary classrooms, very little is known about how well positionedelementary teachers are to teach engineering. This study examined elementary teachers’ perceptions of and familiarity with design,engineering, and technology (DET). We collected data from 192 elementary teachers using the DET teacher survey. While theseelementary teachers thought teaching DET was important (Mean 5 3.46; SD 5 0.43), they were relatively unfamiliar with DET (Mean 52.01; SD 5 0.65). Years of teaching experience did not affect teachers’ familiarity with teaching DET and their perceptions of how important DET was. Moderately experienced teachers showed stereotypical views of engineering. Furthermore, teachers’ motivations toteach DET differed based on their ethnic backgrounds. The results suggest a need to improve elementary teachers’ familiarity with design,engineering, and technology. Professional development activities should be guided by research on teacher knowledge, and establish analignment between motivations of teachers and expectations of their schools to ensure administrative support.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol1/iss2/5
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1097
2015-11-09T20:38:20Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Teacher Beliefs about Motivating and Teaching Students to Carry out Engineering Design Challenges: Some Initial Data
Van Haneghan, James P
Pruet, Susan A
Neal-Waltman, Rhonda
Harlan, Jessica M
teacher beliefs
teacher efficacy
engineering design
middle school
curriculum
Curriculum and Instruction
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research
Engineering Education
Research Article
<p>The present study examines middle school teachers’ beliefs about seven learning outcomes related to a project that involves developing and examining the effects of a set of engineering design modules constructed for use by middle school math and science teachers. Overall, the teachers involved in the intervention appear to believe they have the instructional skills, professional development, and resources to carry out the modules. Teachers from all of the schools (both intervention and comparison schools) for the most part valued the outcomes as important. Results of the study indicate that, although teachers believe they value and can obtain most of these outcomes; beliefs vary by school and other factors. One area where teachers do not seem strongly efficacious in some schools is that of fostering intrinsic motivation in their students. Teachers in one of the schools where the modules were implemented did not feel their students were capable of becoming intrinsically motivated. The implications for implementing engineering education in middle school of these beliefs and other attitudes are discussed.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol5/iss2/1
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1027
2011-05-25T10:23:30Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
How Professional Development in Project Lead the Way Changes High School STEM Teachers’ Beliefs about Engineering Education
Nathan, Mitchell J.
Atwood, Amy K.
Prevost, Amy
Phelps, L. Allen
Tran, Natalie A.
Research Article
<p>
<p>This quasi-experimental study measured the impact of Project Lead the Way (PLTW) instruction and professional development training on the views and expectations regarding engineering learning, instruction and career success of nascent pre college engineering teachers. PLTW teachers’ initial and changing views were compared to the views exhibited by a matching group of high school STEM teachers. The primary instrument was the Engineering Beliefs and Expectation Instruments for Teachers (EEBEI-T), which included Likert scale items, contextualized judgments about fictional student vignettes, and demographic items. Teachers’ baseline survey responses, on average, revealed the importance of academic achievement on teachers’ decision making about who should enroll in future engineering classes and their predictions of who would be most likely to succeed in an engineering career. When making implicit comparisons between students who differed by SES, teachers generally favored enrollment and predicted more career success of high SES students. SES was excluded as a factor in the judgments of all participating teachers when explicitly probed, however. Preexisting group differences showed that budding PLTW teachers reported on STEM integration in their classes with greater frequency than control teachers, while control teachers agreed more strongly about the pre-requisite role of high scholastic achievement for engineering studies. Finally, an analysis of teachers’ changing views indicated that nascent PLTW teachers increased their reporting of effective STEM integration over time, above and beyond pre-existing group differences and re-testing effects. In light of these data we explore the challenges of implementing effective STEM integration in high school classrooms, examine issues of attracting underrepresented students to engineering, and discuss some of the inherent tensions of engineering education at the K-12 level.</p>
</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol1/iss1/3
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1035
2013-04-25T19:37:36Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Contents
Front Matter
<p>Contents</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol1/iss2/1
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1036
2013-06-13T15:46:42Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
STEM Integration: Teacher Perceptions and Practice
Wang, Hui-Hui
Moore, Tamara J.
Roehrig, Gillian H.
Park, Mi Sun
Education
Research Article
<p>To gain a better understanding of teachers’ beliefs about, perceptions of, and classroom practices using STEM integration, a multi-casecase study was conducted with three middle school teachers. These teachers were purposefully selected from a pool of teachers involvedin a year-long professional development module on STEM integration to represent science, mathematics and engineering teachers. Thisstudy addresses the following research questions: (1) What are teachers’ beliefs about and perceptions of STEM integration after a yearlongteacher professional development training? and (2) What is the connection between beliefs about and perceptions of STEMintegration and teachers’ classroom practices? Data collection consisted of document analysis, classroom observations, and interviews.Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method. Findings from the case studies suggest that (1) the problem solving process isa key component to integrate STEM disciplines, (2) teachers in different STEM disciplines have different perceptions about STEMintegration and that leads to different classroom practices, (3) technology is the hardest discipline to integrate in these cases, and (4)teachers are aware of the need to add more content knowledge in their STEM integration.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol1/iss2/2
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1054
2013-06-21T16:39:22Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Considerations for Teaching Integrated STEM Education
Stohlmann, Micah
Moore, Tamara J.
Roehrig, Gillian H.
integrated STEM education
engineering
Project Lead the Way
teaching
Science and Mathematics Education
Research Article
<p>Quality Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education is vital for the future success of students. Integrated STEM education is one way to make learning more connected and relevant for students. There is a need for further research and discussion on the knowledge, experiences, and background that teachers need to effectively teach integrated STEM education. A support, teaching, efficacy, and materials (s.t.e.m.) model of considerations for teaching integrated STEM education was developed through a year-long partnership with a middle school. The middle school was implementing Project Lead the Way’s<em> Gateway to Technology</em> curriculum. The s.t.e.m. model is a good starting point for teachers as they implement and improve integrated STEM education.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol2/iss1/4
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1085
2014-10-28T13:10:27Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Design Practices of Preservice Elementary Teachers in an Integrated Engineering and Literature Experience
Wendell, Kristen Bethke
preservice teachers
elementary school
engineering design
design practices
integrated curriculum
framing
Elementary Education and Teaching
Engineering Education
Teacher Education and Professional Development
Research Article
<p>The incorporation of engineering practices and core ideas into the <em>Next Generation Science Standards</em> at the elementary school level provides exciting opportunities but also raises important questions about the preparation of new elementary teachers. Both the teacher education and engineering education communities have a limited literature base on the resources that novice elementary teachers bring to learning and teaching engineering. The purpose of this descriptive exploratory research study was to characterize the design practices used by preservice elementary teachers during an integrated engineering and literature experience. Using a modification of the Design Activity Coding Scheme (Atman et al., 2007), we examined the discourse of a team of preservice teachers as they worked on an engineering design challenge based on children’s literature. The modified coding scheme included indicators for the teachers’ design practices and conversational moves. We analyzed the coded data for patterns of design practices across group members and over time, and for evidence of the group’s perceptions of the goals of their activity – their epistemological framing. The preservice teachers’ utterances were almost evenly divided between design practices and conversational moves, and most design practices were distributed evenly across all members of the group. Conversational moves were concentrated within a subset of members. The teachers’ discourse gave evidence of stable framing of their activity as a design task rather than as an exercise in satisfying the instructor’s directions. However, within the design task framing, the teachers emphasized the design practices of generating possible solutions and feasibility analysis at the expense of information gathering, design solution modeling, and detailed evaluation of proposed solutions. The teachers’ design practice profile differs substantially from that of both novice and expert professional engineers. The findings of this research suggest that novice elementary teachers may need opportunities to see the fruitfulness of problem definition and detailed analysis for engineering design success.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol4/iss2/4
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1038
2011-10-31T13:45:00Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Exploring Complex Engineering Learning Over Time with Epistemic Network Analysis
Svarovsky, Gina Navoa
Research Article
<p>Recently, K-12 engineering education has received increased attention as a pathway to building stronger foundations in math andscience and introducing young people to the profession. However, the National Academy of Engineering found that many K-12engineering programs focus heavily on engineering design and science and math learning while minimizing the development ofengineering habits of mind. This narrowly-focused engineering activity can leave young people – and in particular, girls – with a limitedview of the profession. This study describes Digital Zoo, an engineering learning environment that engaged girls in authentic engineeringactivity in order to link the development of engineering skills and knowledge to engineering ways of thinking. Specific activities from anengineering practicum were recreated in the learning environment, where ten middle school girls from diverse backgrounds role-played asengineers designing solutions to a client-based project. Responses on pre, post, and follow up interviews suggest the participants wereable to develop each of the five epistemic frame elements – engineering skills, knowledge, identity, values, and epistemology – as a resultof Digital Zoo. In situ data from the intervention was analyzed with a sophisticated mixed methods approach that integrated qualitativemethods with a new quantification technique, Epistemic Network Analysis. These techniques allowed for the exploration of complexthinking and learning throughout the different activities of Digital Zoo. The results of this analysis identified client-focused activity andnotebook-based reflection as two activities within Digital Zoo that fostered key linkages to engineering values and epistemology.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol1/iss2/4
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1074
2014-04-30T11:14:08Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
High School Student Information Access and Engineering Design Performance
Mentzer, Nathan
engineering design
standards for technological literacy
information
Engineering Education
Research Article
<p>Developing solutions to engineering design problems requires access to information. Research has shown that appropriately accessing and using information in the design process improves solution quality. This quasi-experimental study provides two groups of high school students with a design problem in a three hour design experience. One group has access to the internet while the other does not. Quality of design solution was measured and the two groups were compared. Solution quality did not change significantly. Student information requests were categorized and the most commonly requested piece of information related to cost of materials. Students spent substantially more time in the design process with internet access.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol4/iss1/4
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1064
2012-10-12T12:35:54Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Impact of RET Teacher-Developed Curriculum Units on Classroom Experiences for Teachers and Students
Klein-Gardner, Stacy S.
Johnston, Megan E.
Benson, Lisa
research experiences
Legacy Cycle
phenomenology
professional development
Research Article
<p>This phenomenological study examined the impact of Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) teacher-developed curriculum on teaching styles and strategies at two RET sites with common Legacy Cycle training. The study was conducted to assess and document program-specific and National Science Foundation (NSF) goals related to classroom practices and outcomes. We set out to define how the RET program influenced teachers’ teaching style and strategies and how teachers’ new curriculum from the RET program affected students. Twenty-seven science and math teachers participated in interviews at the end of their summer research experience, and twenty of these teachers participated in interviews after teaching their Legacy Cycle module during the academic year. These interviews were coded for themes and subthemes relating to teachers’ teaching styles and their effects on students. Teachers used real-world contexts within their Legacy Cycle curricula and thus began to teach in interdisciplinary ways, exposing students to engineering in the process. According to their teachers, students enjoyed learning with the Legacy Cycle curricula. They took a more active role in the classroom, leading them to be better able to apply their new knowledge. Using the Legacy Cycle as a pedagogical approach in an RET program leads to instructional materials that integrate teachers’ research while maintaining use of state and national standards. Teachers perceived that student enjoyment of, and engagement in, the material increased, while also exposing them to engineering.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol2/iss2/4
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1053
2012-04-12T13:55:13Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
An Analysis of Retention Programs for Female Students in Engineering at the University of Toledo
Franchetti, Matthew
retention
female
engineering
Research Article
<p>This paper summarizes the findings of a five-year study aimed at improving the retention rates of female students pursuing careers in engineering. The study analyzed a series of programs implemented at the University of Toledo. The programs involve hands-on design projects, research experiences, communication tools geared towards females, mentoring programs, and on-the-job rotations aimed at sparking enthusiasm and interest in engineering. The effectiveness of the programs over time is measured from the rates of female retention from the freshman to sophomore year. These programs may serve as models for other universities interested in improving opportunities and success rates for female engineers.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol2/iss1/3
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1080
2013-04-18T12:00:44Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Student Learning in Challenge-Based Engineering Curricula
Berland, Leema K.
Martin, Taylor H.
Ko, Pat
Peacock, Stephanie Baker
Rudolph, Jennifer J.
Golubski, Chris
design-based instruction
challenge-based instruction
high school engineering
K-12 engineering
secondary engineering
design engineering
STEM concepts
Research Article
<p>In recent years, there has been a demand to teach engineering in high schools, particularly using a challenge-based curriculum. Many of these programs have the dual goals of teaching students the engineering design process (EDP), and teaching to deepen their understanding and ability to apply science and math concepts. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, this study examines whether a high school design engineering program accomplishes each of the two goals. During the 2010–2011 school year, over 100 students enrolled in the same design engineering course in seven high schools. Evidence of learning and application of the EDP is accomplished by triangulating student interviews with pre-/post-tests of EDP-related questions and a survey of design engineering beliefs. To determine whether students could apply science and math concepts, we examined content test questions to see if students used science and math ideas to justify their engineering work, and triangulated these results with student interviews. The results are mixed, implying that although there is some learning, application is inconsistent.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol3/iss1/5
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1052
2012-04-12T13:54:45Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Designing Design Squad: Developing and Assessing a Children’s Television Program about Engineering
Frey, Daniel David
Powers, Benjamin
design education
educational television
project-based learning
Research Article
<p>This paper describes a multi-media outreach campaign intended to increase children’s knowledge of engineering and to improve the public image of the profession. The central element is a reality-based show entitled <em>Design Squad,</em> whose first season was broadcast on public television stations beginning in the spring of 2007. The show was developed through iterations of prototype episodes and formative assessment with focus groups. The program features two teams of teenagers competing to solve engineering challenges posed by clients. <em>Design Squad</em> highlights the excitement and enjoyment that come from creative technical work. The contestants use modern components including microcontrollers, sensors, and actuators, providing the viewing audience needed exposure to the inner workings of modern technology. The program was broadcast on Public Broadcasting Service television stations nationally. A summative assessment of season #1 was conducted including 139 children who viewed four episodes. The study indicated that the program positively influenced viewers’ attitudes about engineering and increased interest in after-school engineering programs. The assessment also suggested that viewers learned about engineering, but they also generalized incorrectly from what they saw. An extensive outreach effort enabled about 30,000 viewers to follow up on their interest in engineering by doing simple design challenges and interacting with knowledgeable adults. Comparison with another reality-based children’s educational program entitled <em>Fetch with Ruff Ruffman</em> gives insight into how content and format affect outcomes.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol2/iss1/2
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1076
2013-05-09T19:18:05Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Contents
Front Matter
<p>Contents.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol3/iss1/1
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1118
2015-04-29T17:38:46Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Contents
Front Matter
<p>Contents.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol5/iss1/1
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1120
2016-12-02T15:27:54Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
‘‘Can I drop it this time?’’ Gender and Collaborative Group Dynamics in an Engineering Design-Based Afterschool Program
Schnittka, Jessica
Schnittka, Christine
informal education
project-based learning
design-based learning
collaboration
middle school
gender
engineering
Discourse and Text Linguistics
Engineering Education
Physical Sciences and Mathematics
School Psychology
Research Article
<p>The 21st century has brought an increasing demand for expertise in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Although strides have been made towards increasing gender diversity in several of these disciplines, engineering remains primarily male dominated. In response, the U.S. educational system has attempted to make engineering curriculum more engaging, informative, and welcoming to girls. Specifically, project-based and design-based learning pedagogies promise to make engineering interesting and accessible for girls while enculturating them into the world of engineering and scientific inquiry. Outcomes for girls learning in these contexts have been mixed. The purpose of this study was to explore how cultural gender norms are navigated within informal K-12 engineering contexts. We analyzed video of single- and mixed-gender collaborative groups participating in Studio STEM, a design-based, environmentally themed afterschool program that took place in a rural community. Discourse analysis was used to interpret interactional styles within and across groups. Discrepancies were found regarding functional and cultural characteristics of groups based on gender composition. Single-gender groups adhered more closely to social gender norms. For example, the boys group was characterized by overt hierarchies, whereas the girls group outwardly displayed solidarity and collaboration. In contrast, characteristics of interactional styles within mixed gender groups strayed from social gender norms, and stylistic differences across group types were greater for girls than for boys. Learning outcomes indicated that girls learned more in mixed-gender groups. Our results support the use of mixed-gender collaborative learning groups in engineering education yet uncover several challenges. We close with a discussion of implications for practitioners.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol6/iss2/1
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1121
2016-07-06T15:31:18Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
How Engineering Standards are Interpreted and Translated for Middle School
Judson, Eugene
Ernzen, John
Krause, Stephen
Middleton, James A
Culbertson, Robert J
NGSS
standards
policy
engineering standards
middle school
science standards
Engineering Education
Science and Mathematics Education
Research Article
<p>In this exploratory study we examined the alignment of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) middle school engineering design standards with lesson ideas from middle school teachers, science education faculty, and engineering faculty (4–6 members per group). Respondents were prompted to provide plain language interpretations of two middle school Engineering Design performance expectations and to provide examples of how the performance expectations could be applied in middle school classrooms. Participants indicated the challenges and benefits of implementing these performance expectations and indicated personal experiences that helped them to interpret the performance expectations.</p>
<p>Quality of lessons differed depending on the performance expectation being addressed. Generally, respondents were better able to generate ideas that addressed the paradigm of students ‘‘analyz[ing] data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions’’ than having students ‘‘define the criteria and constraints of a design problem.’’ A notable finding was the scarcity of quality engineering lesson ideas. The greatest proportion of lessons were categorized as Vague and/or Overly Broad. It appears that NGSS engineering design standards can too easily be decoded in an excessively expansive manner, thus resulting in indefinite ideas that are difficult to translate into classroom practice.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol6/iss1/1
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1122
2018-07-02T15:26:05Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Latinx and Caucasian Elementary School Children’s Knowledge of and Interest in Engineering Activities
Ozogul, Gamze
Miller, Cindy Faith
Reisslein, Martin
elementary school students
engineering interest
engineering occupational knowledge
ethnicity
gender
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research
Engineering Education
Research Article
<p>Ethnic minorities, such as Latinx people of Hispanic or Latino origin, and women earn fewer engineering degrees than Caucasians and men. With shifting population dynamics and high demands for a technically qualified workforce, it is important to achieve broad participation in the engineering workforce by all ethnicities and both genders. Previous research has examined the knowledge of and interest in engineering among students in grades five and higher. In contrast, the present study examined elementary school students in grades K–5. The study found that older students in grades 4 and 5 had both greater knowledge of engineering occupational activities and greater interest in engineering than younger students in grades K–3. Moreover, Caucasian students had greater knowledge and interest levels than Latinx students. There were no significant differences between boys and girls, nor any significant interactions among gender, grade level, and ethnicity. A significant positive correlation between knowledge of engineering occupational activities and interest in engineering was also found. The findings suggest that early engineering outreach interventions are important. Such early interventions could potentially contribute to preserving the equivalent interest levels of males and females for engineering as students grow older. Also, ethnic disparities in engineering knowledge and interest could potentially be mitigated through early interventions.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol7/iss2/2
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1123
2016-07-06T15:35:05Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Stable Beginnings in Engineering Design
McCormick, Mary E
Hammer, David
elementary
engineering design
student engagement
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research
Research Article
<p>Novel Engineering activities are premised on the integration of engineering and literacy: students identify and engineer solutions to problems that arise for fictional characters in stories they read for class. There are advantages to this integration, for both engineering and literacy goals of instruction: the stories provide ‘‘clients’’ to support students’ engagement in engineering, and understanding clients’ needs involves careful interpretation of text. Outcomes are encouraging, but mixed, in part owing to variation in how students frame the task. For instance, although students often pay close attention to the stories, interpreting and anticipating their fictional clients’ needs, they sometimes focus more on the teacher and what they think she would like to see. This variation occurs both within and across groups of students, and it motivates studying the dynamics of student framing. Here, we examine a pair of students who share a central objective of designing an optimal solution for their fictional client, and who persist in achieving their objective. We argue that the students’ stable framing of the activity involves their engagement in engineering design, and that the abilities they demonstrate in pursuit of a solution are evidence of their productive beginnings in engineering design.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol6/iss1/4
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1124
2017-07-24T15:49:04Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Mathematical Description and Mechanistic Reasoning: A Pathway Toward STEM Integration
Weinberg, Paul J.
engineering education
mathematics education
science education
STEM education
STEM integration
mechanistic reasoning
mathematical description
psychometrics
Applied Mechanics
Geometry and Topology
Other Applied Mathematics
Other Physics
Other Psychology
Research Article
<p>Because reasoning about mechanism is critical to disciplined inquiry in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) domains, this study focuses on ways to support the development of this form of reasoning. This study attends to how mechanistic reasoning is constituted through mathematical description. This study draws upon Smith’s (2007) characterization of mathematical description of scientific phenomena as ‘‘bootstrapping,’’ where negotiating the relationship between target phenomena and represented relations is fundamental to learning. In addition, the development of mathematical representation presents a viable pathway towards STEM integration. In this study, participants responded to an assessment of mechanistic reasoning while cognitive interviews were conducted to characterize their reasoning about mechanism and mathematical description of the systems of levers represented in the items. Participant item responses were modeled using item response theory and participant talk and gesture were coded according to developed analytic frameworks. Participants were elementary, middle, and high school students as well as college undergraduates, and adults without college education. The results suggest a relationship between participants’ tendencies to describe these systems mathematically and their mechanistic reasoning ability. Moreover, there are specific elements of mechanistic reasoning that are more highly associated with mathematical description. In addition, there is a relationship between a participant’s propensity to both mathematically describe and mechanistically trace mechanical systems.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol7/iss1/7
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1126
2017-03-27T14:28:55Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Reasoning Strategies in the Context of Engineering Design with Everyday Materials
Worsley, Marcelo
Blikstein, Paulo
making
engineering design cognition
Engineering Education
Mechanical Engineering
Research Article
<p>‘‘Making’’ represents an increasingly popular label for describing a form of engineering design. While making is growing in popularity, there are still open questions about the strategies that students are using in these activities. Assessing and improving learning in making/ engineering design contexts require that we have a better understanding of where students’ ideas are coming from and a better way to characterize student progress in open-ended learning environments. In this article, we use a qualitative analysis of students’ responses (<em>N</em> = 13) in order to identify the origins of their ideas. Four strategies emerged from this analysis: unexplained reasoning; materials-based reasoning; example-based reasoning; and principle-based reasoning. We examine key characteristics of each strategy and how each strategy relates to learning and expertise through in-depth case studies. Furthermore, we identify how these four strategies are a complement to prior work on analogical problem solving and creativity, and offer a number of unique contributions that are particularly relevant for engineering education. Finally, we include two coding schemes that can be used to classify students’ responses. Studying reasoning strategies in this way is a fruitful means for characterizing student learning in complex learning environments. Moreover, understanding reasoning strategies impacts the nature of student–teacher discussions and informs how to help students progress most effectively.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol6/iss2/4
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1127
2017-12-04T17:55:07Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Supporting Mechanistic Reasoning in Domain-Specific Contexts
Weinberg, Paul J.
science education
engineering education
cognition
assessment development
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research
Engineering Education
Research Article
<p>Mechanistic reasoning is an epistemic practice central within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. Although there has been some work on mechanistic reasoning in the research literature and standards documents, much of this work targets domain-general characterizations of mechanistic reasoning; this study provides domain-specific illustrations of mechanistic reasoning. The data in this study comes from the Assessment of Mechanistic Reasoning Project (AMRP) (Weinberg, 2012), designed using item response theory modeling to diagnose individuals’ mechanistic reasoning about systems of levers. Such a characterization of mechanistic reasoning illuminates what is easy and difficult about this form of reasoning, within the subdomain of simple machines. Moreover, this work indicates how domain-general principles may be limited. The study participants included elementary, middle, and high school students as well as college undergraduates and adults without higher education. Although the majority of participants responded to the AMRP by diagnosing at least one mechanistic element (elements inherent to the working of systems of levers) as they predicted its motion, such reasoning was not trivial. In fact, the diverse reasoning by participants shows how systems of levers support elements of mechanistic reasoning. Moreover, this study provides evidence that the development of mechanistic reasoning is dependent on domain-specific experience.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol7/iss2/3
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1129
2016-07-06T15:32:07Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Building Up STEM: An Analysis of Teacher-Developed Engineering Design-Based STEM Integration Curricular Materials
Guzey, Siddika Selcen
Moore, Tamara J
Harwell, Michael
Engineering curricula
STEM integration
curriculum development
curriculum evaluation
teachers as curriculum designers
Curriculum and Instruction
Other Teacher Education and Professional Development
Science and Mathematics Education
Research Article
<p>Improving K–12 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education has a priority on numerous education reforms in the United States. To that end, developing and sustaining quality programs that focus on integrated STEM education is critical for educators. Successful implementation of any STEM program is related to the curriculum materials used. Educators increasingly recognize the challenge of finding quality curriculum materials for integrated STEM education. In this study, 48 teachers participated in a year-long professional development program on STEM integration, and they designed 20 new engineering design-based STEM curriculum units. Each STEM curriculum unit includes an engineering challenge in which students develop technologies to solve the challenge; each unit also integrates grade level appropriate mathematics (data analysis and measurement) and one of the three science content areas: life science, physical science, or earth science. A total of 20 STEM integration units were assessed using the STEM Integration Curriculum Assessment (STEM-ICA) tool. Comparisons among the STEM units showed that the context or the engineering activities in physical science focused STEM units were more engaging and motivating comparing to the authentic contexts used in life science and earth science focused STEM units. Moreover, mathematics integration and communicating mathematics, science, and engineering thinking were not found to strongly contribute to the overall quality of the STEM units. Implications for designing effective professional development on integrated STEM education will be discussed.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol6/iss1/2
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1130
2016-07-06T15:33:17Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Professional Development for the Integration of Engineering in High School STEM Classrooms
Singer, Jonathan E
Ross, Julia M
Jackson-Lee, Yvette
Engineering
HS professional development
Engineering Education
Teacher Education and Professional Development
Research Article
<p>Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education in the U.S. is in transition. The recently published <em>A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas as well as the Next Generation Science Standards</em> are responsive to this call and clearly articulate a vision that includes engineering practices as key components. This shift presents significant challenges to school districts owing to a stark lack of research-based engineering-focused instructional materials and corresponding teacher professional development. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a professional development program on high school STEM teachers’ ability to enact design-based pedagogical practices associated with the pre-selected engineering design curriculum (INSPIRES Engineering in Healthcare: A Heart-Lung System Case Study). Data were generated through evaluation of teacher practice using the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP). Findings demonstrated that RTOP scores were statistically significant.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol6/iss1/3
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1131
2017-03-03T15:04:16Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Disciplinary Differences in Out-of-School High School Science Experiences and Influence on Students’ Engineering Choices
Godwin, Allison
Sonnert, Gerhard
Sadler, Philip M.
informal science
personal interest
engineering career choice
engineering disciplines
gender
Engineering Education
Science and Mathematics Education
Research Article
<p>Participation from a variety of students is important to the long-term growth of the engineering field. Much of the research on engineering recruitment or career choice has focused on engineering as a whole, even though engineering disciplines are varied in student participation and focus. This work examines how students’ out-of-school interests and experiences in high school predict the likelihood of choosing a career in a particular engineering discipline. Out-of-school experiences offer more unstructured ways for students to meaningfully engage with science and engineering outside of the confines of the classroom. These experiences offer opportunities to spark particular science interests not included in traditional high school science curriculum. Additionally, participation in engineering for women has been historically low. For this reason, we also examined reported differences in out-of-school experiences by gender. Our findings indicate that reported out-of-school experiences increased the odds of students choosing particular engineering disciplines. Experiences traditionally stereotyped as masculine and more often reported by men, such as tinkering, increased the odds of choosing engineering disciplines with higher representation of men. However, some experiences equally reported by men and women, such as mixing chemicals or engaging with chemistry in the kitchen or talking with friends or family about science, predicted higher odds of choosing engineering disciplines with higher representation of women (chemical, biomedical, environmental). These quantitative results are a first step in understanding how out-of-school experiences are connected to the nuanced decisions of disciplinary engineering career decisions and have implications for the way engineering faculty draw on prior experience in the classrooms and for researchers on how out-of-school activities may predict students’ long-term career decisions.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol6/iss2/2
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1132
2015-12-10T13:22:36Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Contents
Front Matter
<p>Contents. </p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol5/iss2/5
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1138
2017-08-18T13:57:25Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Anticipating Change: An Exploratory Analysis of Teachers’ Conceptions of Engineering in an Era of Science Education Reform
Sengupta-Irving, Tesha
Mercado, Janet
pre-college engineering
teacher professional development
reform
Science and Mathematics Education
Secondary Education and Teaching
Teacher Education and Professional Development
Research Article
<p>While integrating engineering into science education is not new in the United States, technology and engineering have not been well emphasized in the preparation and professional development of science teachers. Recent science education reforms integrate science and engineering throughout K–12 education, making it imperative to explore the conceptions teachers hold of engineering as a discipline, and as an approach to teaching. This analysis draws on focus group interviews with practicing secondary teachers (<em>n</em> = 12) conducted during a professional development seminar. The goals of the seminar were to present engineering as a heterogeneity of practices and inquiries organized to solve human problems; and, to model design-build-test pedagogy as a new approach to teaching. Outcomes show teachers’ conceptions of engineering as a discipline are that it redefines failure as necessary for success, and that it can more directly link school learning to serving society. Teachers also anticipated that design-build-test pedagogy would disrupt procedural learning in science, and likely invert which students achieve and why. These outcomes are discussed in light of reform goals, particularly as regards issues of equity. Implications for science teacher educators are also discussed.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol7/iss1/8
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1141
2020-10-13T12:55:53Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Examining the Factor Structure of a Middle School STEM Occupational Values Scale
Harlan, Jessica
Van Haneghan, James
occupational values
psychometric
validity
middle grades
integrated STEM
program evaluation
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research
Research Article
<p>As part of a longitudinal study of the development and implementation of a middle school engineering design curriculum, we have used an occupational values subscale of the Assessing Men and Women in Engineering (AWE) project’s Engineering version of the Core Survey for Middle School-Aged Participants to measure student occupational interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). According to the developers, this set of tools is intended to measure factors related to STEM careers, including occupational interests. While the AWE tools have been widely used, there have been no formal examinations of the psychometric properties of the middle school tools. Using a sample of our program participants, we examined the underlying factor structures of the occupational values subscale using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. We found that the AWE Work Values scale assesses two separate sets of occupational values: (1) using analytical and problem-solving skills and (2) personal satisfaction. Even though these two factors were confirmed, we conclude that there is still a need to improve reliability and more clearly define the constructs measured.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol10/iss2/4
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1142
2016-07-06T15:36:29Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Contents
Front Matter
<p>Contents.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol6/iss1/5
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1146
2018-02-20T20:06:08Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Choosing STEM College Majors: Exploring the Role of Pre-College Engineering Courses
Phelps, L. Allen
Camburn, Eric M
Min, Sookweon
integrated STEM education
high school courses
college majors
longitudinal data
Curriculum and Instruction
Education
Engineering Education
Science and Mathematics Education
Research Article
<p>Despite the recent policy proclamations urging state and local educators to implement integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curricula, relatively little is known about the role and impact of pre-college engineering courses within these initiatives. When combined with appropriate mathematics and science courses, high school engineering and engineering technology (E&ET) courses may have the potential to provide students with pre-college learning experiences that encourage them to pursue STEM college majors. Our central research question was: What is the nature and extent of any relationship between high school E&ET course completion and subsequent selection of a STEM major in a two-year or four-year college?</p>
<p>Using the first and second follow-up datasets of the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002, we examined the direction and magnitude of the association between E&ET course-taking in high school and postsecondary STEM program enrollment. We controlled for a wide array of factors identified in the literature as being associated with college major selection, allowing us to better isolate the association between high school E&ET course-taking and college major selection.</p>
<p>Overall, students who earned three credits in E&ET courses were 1.60 times more likely to enroll in STEM majors in four-year institutions than students who did not earn high school E&ET credits. This positive, significant association persisted even after controlling for students’ social backgrounds, academic preparation and attitudes during high school, college choice considerations, and early postsecondary education experiences. In combination with a high school college readiness curriculum, E&ET courses potentially contribute in multiple ways to informing students’ selection of engineering and STEM college majors.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol8/iss1/1
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1148
2017-09-27T13:54:00Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Approaches to Integrating Engineering in STEM Units and Student Achievement Gains
Crotty, Elizabeth A
Guzey, Selcen S
Roehrig, Gillian H
Glancy, Aran W
Ring-Whalen, Elizabeth A
Moore, Tamara J.
STEM
engineering
integration
achievement gains
Curriculum and Instruction
Educational Methods
Engineering Education
Science and Mathematics Education
Research Article
<p>This study examined different approaches to integrating engineering practices in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curriculum units. These various approaches were correlated with student outcomes on engineering assessment items. There are numerous reform documents in the USA and around the world that emphasize the need to incorporate engineering into science education. The authors of this study contend that different approaches to integrating engineering in STEM units correlate to larger student achievement gains in engineering, based on assessment items developed from the Framework for Quality K–12 Engineering Education (Moore, Glancy, Tank, Kersten, & Smith, 2014). The goal of this work is not to establish one singular working definition for how to integrate the disciplines of STEM but rather to focus on characteristics of integrating engineering within STEM curricular units that are associated with higher student achievement gains in engineering for the students involved in this study. The results indicate that when engineering is introduced at the beginning of the unit to provide context for the learning, and revisited throughout the duration of the unit, student achievement gains with engineering assessment items are greater than when engineering is incorporated only at the end of the unit as a design challenge in the form of a culminating project.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol7/iss2/1
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1155
2019-01-25T15:40:50Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
No Bones About It: How Digital Fabrication Changes Student Perceptions of their Role in the Classroom
Hansen, Alexandria K
McBeath, Jasmine K
Harlow, Danielle B
STEM education
digital fabrication
science
technology
engineering
mathematics
Science and Mathematics Education
Research Article
<p>This study used cultural historical activity theory to make meaning of a digital fabrication project situated in the complexity of a classroom. Using an ethnographic perspective, we observed 14 students (aged 13–14) in a middle school’s creative design and engineering class inspired by the Maker Movement. Working with the classroom teacher, a professional stuntman tasked students with fabricating a prosthetic bone for use as a movie prop using their understanding of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Teacher interviews and student focus groups revealed differences in perceptions between their science class and engineering class. Additionally, affordances and constraints of the 3D printer as the tool for construction are presented, as identified by student and teacher participants. Finally, two illustrative vignettes are presented to depict tensions that emerged due to facilitating this digital fabrication project within the traditional confines of a classroom.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol9/iss1/6
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1157
2017-03-27T14:59:17Z
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Contents
Front Matter
<p>Contents.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol6/iss2/5
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1158
2018-07-17T13:54:23Z
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Perspectives on Failure in the Classroom by Elementary Teachers New to Teaching Engineering
Lottero-Perdue, Pamela S.
Parry, Elizabeth A.
failure
design process
elementary
Elementary Education
Elementary Education and Teaching
Engineering Education
Invited Contributions: Best Papers from ASEE Pre-College Engineering Education
<p>This mixed methods study examines perspectives on failure in the classroom by elementary teachers new to teaching engineering. The study participants included 254 teachers in third, fourth, and fifth grade who responded to survey questions about failure, as well as a subset of 38 of those teachers who participated in interviews about failure. The study first examines the literature about failure in the contexts of engineering and education. Failure is positioned as largely normative and expected in engineering, whereas in education, learning and failure have a more tenuous relationship. Identity, failure avoidance, failure as part of the learning process, growth and fixed mindset, resilience, perseverance, and grit are addressed in a discussion of failure and education. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were utilized to examine how participants: reacted to the words failure or fail, reported allowing students to fail or revise their work, considered how failure should be avoided in education, considered how failure may be construed as a learning experience, and reported using the words failure or fail in their classrooms. Conclusions from the study include that: failure has a largely negative connotation within education and by teachers, which influences how teachers use the words fail and failure and create failure experiences for their students; many teachers practice resilience and perseverance and encourage similar practices in their students with respect to mistakes in the classroom, which serves as a helpful yet somewhat inaccurate analogue for failure in engineering design; and there is evidence that many teachers have adopted a growth mindset and encourage this mindset in their classrooms – however, there are some challenges to a true adoption of this mindset by teachers.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol7/iss1/4
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1159
2018-07-17T13:55:01Z
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Students’ Successes and Challenges Applying Data Analysis and Measurement Skills in a Fifth-Grade Integrated STEM Unit
Glancy, Aran W
Moore, Tamara J.
Guzey, Selcen
Smith, Karl A
Data Analysis
Measurement
STEM Integration
Engineering Design
Engineering Education
Science and Mathematics Education
Invited Contributions: Best Papers from ASEE Pre-College Engineering Education
<p>An understanding of statistics and skills in data analysis are becoming more and more essential, yet research consistently shows that students struggle with these concepts at all levels. This case study documents some of the struggles four groups of fifth-grade students encounter as they collect, organize, and interpret data and then ultimately attempt to draw conclusions or make decisions based on these data. The activities in which the students engaged were part of an integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) unit that had students collecting and analyzing data both in the context of learning science concepts and in the context of evaluating prototypes for an engineering design challenge. Students were observed to struggle in a variety of ways, specifically having difficulty (1) properly using certain measurement devices, (2) coordinating quantitative data with the phenomenon being measured, and (3) properly interpreting the significance of variation, uncertainty, and error in the data. Implications for teaching and curriculum design are addressed.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol7/iss1/5
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1160
2018-07-17T13:51:39Z
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Elementary Teachers’ Reflections on Design Failures and Use of Fail Words after Teaching Engineering for Two Years
Lottero-Perdue, Pamela S.
Parry, Elizabeth A.
failure
engineering design process
elementary teachers
Elementary Education
Elementary Education and Teaching
Engineering Education
Invited Contributions: Best Papers from ASEE Pre-College Engineering Education
<p>This mixed-methods study examines how teachers who have taught one or two units of the Engineering is Elementary (EiE) curriculum for two years reported on: students’ responses to design failure; the ways in which they, the teachers, supported these students and used fail words (e.g. fail, failure); and the teachers’ broad perspectives and messages to students about failure. In addition, the study explores how strategies, perspectives, messages, and fail word use may change after two years of engineering instruction. This study builds on previous work about elementary teachers’: perspectives on failure prior to teaching engineering, and responses to and perspectives on failure after teaching EiE unit(s) for one year. Data collected included 74 surveys, containing both quantitative and qualitative items, and ten in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed via non-parametric methods, and qualitative analysis involved an iterative search for codes and themes. The convergent mixed-methods design enabled comparison across quantitative and qualitative findings. Findings included that the elementary engineering classroom is a complex space in which teams may or may not experience design failure; for those teams that do, they—and, in turn, their teachers—may respond to this experience in a wide range of ways. Also, after two years of teaching engineering, teachers felt more comfortable preparing students for design failure experiences, and responding when design failure occurred. Most also felt more comfortable using fail words, and when they used these words, learned to do so with context and care.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol7/iss1/1
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1161
2018-07-17T13:53:43Z
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Undergraduate Engineers and Teachers: Can Students Be Both?
Zarske, Malinda S
Vadeen, Maia L
Tsai, Janet Y
Sullivan, Jacquelyn F
Carlson, Denise W
P-12 engineering
engineering undergraduates
pre-service teaching
engineering education
Engineering Education
Other Teacher Education and Professional Development
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Science and Mathematics Education
Secondary Education
Secondary Education and Teaching
Invited Contributions: Best Papers from ASEE Pre-College Engineering Education
<p>Today’s college-aged students are graduating into a world that relies on multidisciplinary talents to succeed. Engineering college majors are more likely to find jobs after college that are outside of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields, including jobs in healthcare, management, and social services. A survey of engineering undergraduate students at the University of Colorado Boulder in November 2012 indicated a desire by students to simultaneously pursue secondary teacher licensure alongside their engineering degrees: 25 percent ‘‘agreed’’ or ‘‘strongly agreed’’ that they ‘‘would be interested in earning grades 7–12 science or math teaching licenses while [they] earn [their] engineering degrees. As colleges of engineering education, how can we support the success of our students in these multidisciplinary fields post-graduation, including teaching?</p>
<p>The University of Colorado Boulder’s College of Engineering and Applied Science in partnership with the School of Education, has developed an innovative program that results in graduates attaining a secondary school STEM teacher license concurrently with an engineering BS degree. This streamlined pathway through engineering educates and prepares a workforce of secondary teachers capable of high-level teaching in multiple STEM subjects—either engineering coupled with science (biology, chemistry, and physics), or engineering coupled with mathematics. These engineers are motivated and inspired to pursue two career routes because they find value and passion for both professions. One study showed that successful mathematics and science teachers ‘‘would have liked to be engineers’’. Teachers expressed that being comfortable and understanding engineering phenomena is a barrier to why they initially did not pursue an engineering career. We are fostering students that develop both an engineering mindset alongside a commitment to giving back through secondary teaching in this program.</p>
<p>This research aims to discover if and how students in the engineering + teaching program identify themselves as both an engineering student and as a teaching student. We are exploring why students decided to pursue engineering and teaching and how they plan to use engineering, teaching, or both in their futures. It is important to also understand how we attract students to this program. Given the diverse student experience inherent in this degree program built around passion and desire to combine engineering and teaching, the paper addresses the questions, ‘‘How do engineering knowledge and teaching knowledge intersect for undergraduate engineering students?’’ and ‘‘What challenges exist to navigating an engineering major with a teaching license pathway?’’</p>
<p>Initial survey and focus group data collected this past academic year indicates that students in this degree program identify as both an engineer and a teacher. Using mixed-methods analysis informed by current education research—including quantitative and qualitative survey questions and small focus groups—we explore the ways in which students discovered this program and how they plan to incorporate the two disciplines in their future. We are interested in how engineering students will incorporate the knowledge that they learned in engineering classes into the lesson plans they design for secondary classroom students.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol7/iss1/3
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1162
2018-07-17T13:52:37Z
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Examining Experienced Teachers’ Noticing of and Responses to Students’ Engineering
Johnson, Aaron W.
Wendell, Kristen B
Watkins, Jessica
responsive teaching
teacher noticing
design practices
elementary education
Engineering Education
Invited Contributions: Best Papers from ASEE Pre-College Engineering Education
<p>Engineering design places unique demands on teachers, as students are coming up with new, unanticipated ideas to problems along often unpredictable trajectories. These demands motivate a responsive approach to teaching, in which teachers attend their students’ thinking and flexibly adapt their instructional plans and objectives. A great deal of literature has focused on responsive teaching in science and mathematics, but there has been little research or professional development on this approach in engineering. In this work, we conducted clinical video-based interviews with six elementary teachers experienced in teaching engineering to discuss what they noticed in their students’ thinking and how they responded. Using analytical methods based on the grounded theory approach, we identified four themes in what teachers noticed in their students’ engineering: how students (1) framed (or interpreted) the project, (2) engaged in the engineering design process, (3) exhibited informed designer patterns, and (4) communicated with each other in ways that supported their engineering. Although none of these teachers had a formal background in engineering, we show how these themes connect to disciplinary aspects of engineering design. We also identified challenges that teachers perceived facing when responding to students’ work. By showing teachers’ abilities and challenges for responsive teaching, these findings motivate a research and professional development agenda to support teachers in eliciting, noticing, and responding to their students’ engineering.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol7/iss1/2
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1163
2018-07-17T13:55:38Z
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Teachers’ Incorporation of Argumentation to Support Engineering Learning in STEM Integration Curricula
Mathis, Corey A
Siverling, Emilie A.
Glancy, Aran W
Moore, Tamara J
STEM integration
argumentation
case study
curriculum
Curriculum and Instruction
Engineering Education
Science and Mathematics Education
Invited Contributions: Best Papers from ASEE Pre-College Engineering Education
<p>One of the fundamental practices identified in Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) is argumentation, which has been researched in P-12 science education for the previous two decades but has yet to be studied within the context of P-12 engineering education. This research explores how elementary and middle school science teachers incorporated argumentation into engineering design-based STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) integration curricular units they developed during a professional development program. To gain a better understanding of how teachers included argumentation in their curricula, a multiple case study approach was conducted using four STEM integration units. While evidence of argumentation was found in each curriculum, the degree to which it appeared in each case varied. The strongest potential for argumentation occurred when students were required to explain and justify their final engineering design solutions to the client; certain guiding questions and discussions also promoted argumentation, depending on their structure. Additionally, argumentation was found to support engineering concepts such as the process of design, engineering thinking, communication in engineering contexts, and the application of science, mathematics, and engineering content. These findings support the idea that argumentation can be integrated into P-12 engineering education contexts in order to support students’ STEM learning.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol7/iss1/6
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1166
2018-05-09T20:06:43Z
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‘‘Lend a Hand’’ Project Helps Students: Improved Spatial Visualization Skills Through Engaging in Hands-On 3-D Printed Prosthetics Project During a 9th Grade Engineering Course
Smith, Shaunna
Talley, Kimberly
spatial visualization
Revised PSVT:R
high school engineering education
Engineering Education
Secondary Education
Research Article
<p>Research shows that high spatial ability is linked to success and persistence in STEM. Empirical investigations often report a gender gap in favor of male students. The purpose of this research study was to assess changes to 9th grade engineering students’ spatial visualization skills through engagement in a nine-week collaborative 3-D printed prosthetics project embedded within their existing ‘‘Beginning Concepts of Engineering’’ course curriculum. Using concurrent mixed methods, this study examined pre-/post-test scores on the Revised Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Rotations (Revised PSVT:R) in connection with gender, course grades, and level of involvement in the project. Both male and female students’ spatial visualization skills improved overall through the project. Higher levels of project involvement had a positive correlation with students’ Revised PSVT:R scores, and semester course grades. Female students had lower Revised PSVT:R scores than their male peers before and after the project; however, females experienced statistically significant gains in their post-project Revised PSVT:R scores. The trend of the closing gender gap that is evidenced by the female and male students’ mean scores suggests that a novel collaborative project, which includes hands-on, spatially-rich activities, can help female students catch up on their spatial visualization and mental rotation skills. This impact is increased when students dedicate more time to the project.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol8/iss1/2
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1167
2018-11-08T14:54:51Z
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STEM Roles: How Students’ Ontological Perspectives Facilitate STEM Identities
Verdín, Dina
Godwin, Allison
Ross, Monique
identity
ontology
STEM pathways
Engineering Education
Science and Mathematics Education
Research Article
<p>Educational researchers have explored the importance of performance, recognition, and interest in establishing and maintaining a STEM identity. Research has also demonstrated that the ways students describe themselves and how they participate in STEM communities can provide insight into their role identity salience; however, there has been little work to explore the ontological beliefs of students about STEM people and how this influences their ability to see themselves as possessing a STEM identity. This research explores the ontological beliefs of high school students, with specific attention to the ways in which they describe what constitutes a math person, science person, physics person, or engineer and how these descriptions influence their ability to take on these role identities.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol8/iss2/4
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1168
2018-12-20T15:48:43Z
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A Novel 3D+MEA Approach to Authentic Engineering Education for Teacher Professional Development: Design Principles and Outcomes
Dyehouse, Melissa
Santone, Adam L
Kisa, Zahid
Carr, Ronald L
Razzouk, Rabieh
teacher professional development
authenticity
model-eliciting activities
manipulatives
Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching
Research Article
<p>This paper describes the design principles and implementation of a novel approach for a K–12 teacher professional development (PD) program. The approach integrates training focused on development of model eliciting activities (MEAs) within authentic engineering design tasks, collaborative 3D model design and fabrication, and inspirational site visits with access to active engineers to enhance understanding of current issues faced by NASA aerospace researchers. Throughout the training, participants collaborated with program staff including engineering, 3D graphics, education, and MEA specialists to develop research-related MEAs with accompanying 3Dprinted manipulatives. The purpose of this article is to provide a framework for engineering education teacher PD in authentic contexts and examine teachers’ experience of the program, including comfort with and knowledge of integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instructional strategies. Pre–post survey results show high levels of satisfaction with the workshop and significant gains in integrated STEM understanding and comfort. Potential barriers to curriculum implementation include lack of a 3D printer and time. We provide a list of lessons learned from the PD development and implementation along with recommendations for developing similar PD programs.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol9/iss1/4
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1172
2018-11-09T17:39:33Z
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Search and Review of the Literature on Engineering Design Challenges in Secondary School Settings
Lammi, Matthew
Denson, Cameron
Asunda, Paul
engineering design
K–12
problem solving
technology education
Curriculum and Instruction
Engineering Education
Teacher Education and Professional Development
Research Article
<p>Engineering design activities offer the promise of enhanced learning and teaching in pre-college science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) settings. The wide variation and lack of coherence in research and practice concerning pre-college engineering design challenges necessitates an investigation of the literature. The overarching research question guiding this search and review of literature was, ‘‘How are engineering design challenges conceptualized in pre-college environments?’’ A search and review coupled with iterative thematic analysis was employed to understand and conceptualize the current body of literature on pre-college engineering design challenges. It is anticipated that this review will provide a general picture of the salient features surrounding engineering design challenges, including: authenticity to the learner and to engineering practices, open-ended problems, modeling, optimization to continuously improve, and the promotion of engineering habits of mind such as balancing trade-offs and satisficing. It is also expected that the results will contribute toward ongoing discussions of the role of design challenges in STEM educational settings, future research directions, and implications for practice.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol8/iss2/5
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1178
2019-01-25T15:38:17Z
publication:jpeer
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Disciplinary Learning From an Authentic Engineering Context
Langman, Catherine
Zawojewski, Judith
McNicholas, Patricia
Cinar, Ali
Brey, Eric
Bilgic, Mustafa
Mehdizadeh, Hamidreza
STEM
mathematics education
science education
engineering education
model-eliciting activities
authentic
tissue engineering
Curriculum and Instruction
Engineering Education
Molecular, Cellular, and Tissue Engineering
Science and Mathematics Education
Research Article
<p>This small-scale design study describes disciplinary learning in mathematical modeling and science from an authentic engineeringthemed module. Current research in tissue engineering served as source material for the module, including science content for readings and a mathematical modeling activity in which students work in small teams to design a model in response to a problem from a client. The design of the module was guided by well-established principles of model-eliciting activities (a special class of problem-solving activities deeply studied in mathematics education) and recently published implementation design principles, which emphasize the portability of model-eliciting activities to many classroom settings.</p>
<p>Two mathematical modeling research questions were addressed: 1. What mathematical approaches did student-teams take when they designed mathematical models to evaluate the quality of blood vessel networks? and 2. What attributes of mature mathematical models were captured in the mathematical models that the student-teams designed? One science content research question was addressed: 1. Before and after the module, what aspects of angiogenesis did students describe when they were asked what they knew about the process of blood vessel growth from existing vessels?</p>
<p>Participants who field-tested the module included high school students in a summer enrichment program and early college students enrolled in four general-studies mathematics courses. Data collected from participants included mathematical models produced by small teams of students, as well as students’ individual responses before and after the module to a prompt asking them what they knew about the process of new blood vessel growth from existing vessels. The data were analyzed for mathematical model type and science content by adopting methods of grounded theory, in which researchers suspend expectations about what should be in the data and, instead, allow for the emergence of patterns and trends. The mathematical models were further analyzed for mathematical maturity using an a priori coding scheme of attributes of a mathematical model. Analyses showed that student-teams created mathematical models of varying maturity using four different mathematical approaches, and comparisons of students’ responses to the science prompt showed students knew essentially nothing about angiogenesis before the module but described important aspects of angiogenesis after the module. These findings were used to set up an agenda for future research about the design of the module and the relationship between disciplinary learning and authentic engineering problems.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol9/iss1/5
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1182
2018-12-20T15:42:08Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
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Assessing Mechanistic Reasoning: Supporting Systems Tracing
Weinberg, Paul J.
engineering education
assessment
science education
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research
Elementary Education
Science and Mathematics Education
Research Article
<p>Reasoning about mechanism is central to disciplined inquiry in science and engineering and should thus be one of the foundations of a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. In addition, mechanistic reasoning is one of the core competencies listed in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Engineering Concepts and Practices (NGSS Lead States, 2013). Mechanistic explanations focus on the processes that underlie cause–effect relationships and consider how the activities of system components affect one another.</p>
<p>While some assessment work has been accomplished in engineering education, to date mechanistic reasoning is an area where limited assessment development has been accomplished for pre-college populations. The data in this study come from the calibration of the Assessment of Mechanistic Reasoning Project (AMRP) (Weinberg, 2012), designed to diagnose individuals’ mechanistic reasoning about systems of levers. This assessment presents a domain-specific characterization of mechanistic reasoning and illuminates what is easy and difficult about this form of reasoning. The study participants included elementary, middle, and high school students as well as college undergraduates and adults without higher education. Within this calibration study, item analyses, reliability, and validity measures were conducted using item response theory modeling; the AMRP assessment was found to have high reliability and validity. In addition, this study shows that machine characteristics such as number of levers, lever type, and arrangement of levers can affect the difficulty of mechanistic reasoning.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol9/iss1/3
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1185
2018-11-26T20:15:26Z
publication:jpeer
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Implementing NGSS Engineering Disciplinary Core Ideas in Middle School Science Classrooms: Results from the Field
Gale, Jessica
Koval, Jayma
Ryan, Mike
Usselman, Marion
Wind, Stefanie
middle school engineering
STEM integration
problem-based learning
design-based implementation research
Curriculum and Instruction
Engineering Education
Science and Mathematics Education
Research Article
<p>With the inclusion of engineering disciplinary core ideas (DCIs), the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) position engineering as a new priority in K–12 science classrooms. This paper reports findings from the implementation of SLIDER, a problem-based learning 8th grade physical science curriculum that integrates engineering and physical science core ideas. As a culminating engineering design challenge, the SLIDER curriculum asks students to apply their understanding of energy, motion, and forces to design an automatic braking system for a robotic truck. The paper describes the curriculum and synthesizes findings from an array of data sources including student design interviews, written design recommendations, engineering notebooks, pre- and post-assessments, and teacher interviews to address two research questions: (1) To what extent and in what ways do students participating in the SLIDER curriculum engage in NGSS engineering DCIs: defining problems, developing solutions, and optimizing solutions? (2) To what extent and in what ways do students draw upon their understanding of science concepts as they engage in engineering design? Findings indicate variations in the degree to which students participating in the SLIDER curriculum engaged across the three NGSS engineering DCIs, with students generally demonstrating competency with regard to identifying and delimiting the engineering problem (ETS1.A) and, to varying degrees, developing solutions (ETS1.B) but experiencing more challenges engaging in the optimization of design solutions (ETS1.C). Findings also illustrate the degree to which students were able to apply their knowledge of relevant physical science core ideas (e.g., friction, force) as they developed and communicated their solutions. Implications of the findings for instruction, curriculum development, and assessment are discussed.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol9/iss1/2
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1190
2020-07-29T14:37:09Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
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publication:pupoaj
Who Is Welcome Here? A Culturally Responsive Content Analysis of Makerspace Websites
Kye, Hannah
maker education
culturally responsive pedagogy
STEM education
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education
Science and Mathematics Education
Research Article
<p>Makerspaces and maker education are widely seen as means to democratize science and engineering education. A small but growing body of scholarly work warns against this assumption and calls for an explicit focus on equity in makerspaces both online and in person. With an understanding of learning as a social and cultural process, this paper proposes that disrupting the cycle of racial and cultural inequity in science education requires makerspace educators and staff to ground their work in multicultural theories and practices. In particular, culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) provides guidance for infusing science and engineering with equity approaches in order to cultivate both academic success and students’ cultural identities. Recognizing the online world as a driving force of the maker movement, this paper reports the findings from a content analysis of twelve makerspace websites to determine the extent to which they address CRP in their guidance for the development and facilitation of makerspaces. Results indicate a low occurrence of the tenets of CRP and that guidance was not informed by existing literature in multicultural maker education. Recommendations include application of the framework of CRP in makerspaces and addressing both practical guidance for educators as well as recommendations for advancing scholarly dialogue regarding diversity, access, and equity in maker education.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol10/iss2/1
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1191
2019-08-09T15:44:46Z
publication:jpeer
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Ascertaining the Impact of P–12 Engineering Education Initiatives: Student Impact through Teacher Impact
Forbes, Marissa H
Sullivan, Jacquelyn F
Carlson, Denise W
confidence
teacher
outreach
impact
pedagogy
pre-college
engineering education
Adult and Continuing Education
Curriculum and Instruction
Educational Methods
Engineering
Online and Distance Education
Teacher Education and Professional Development
Invited Contributions: Best Papers from ASEE Pre-College Engineering Education
<p>The widespread need to address both science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education and STEM workforce development is persistent. Underscored by the Next Generation Science Standards, demand is high for P–12 engineering-centered curricula. <em>TeachEngineering</em> is a free, standards-aligned NSF-funded digital library of more than 1,500 hands-on, design-rich K–12 engineering lessons and activities. Beyond anonymous site-user counts, the impact of the <em>TeachEngineering</em> collection and outreach initiatives on the education of children and their teachers was previously unknown. Thus, the project team wrestled with the question of how to meaningfully ascertain classroom impacts of the digital engineering education library and—more broadly—how to ascertain the impacts of teacher-focused P–12 engineering education initiatives. In this paper, the authors approach the classroom impact question through probing self-reported differentials in: (1) teachers’ confidence in teaching engineering concepts, and (2) changes in their teaching practices as a result of exposure to (and experiences with) K–12 engineering education resources and outreach opportunities. In 2016, four quantitative and qualitative surveys were implemented to probe the impact of the <em>TeachEngineering</em> digital library and outreach on four populations of K–12 teachers’ confidence and practices, including the frequency with which they integrate engineering into their precollege classrooms. Survey results document the teacher experience and perception of using hands-on K–12 engineering curricular materials in the classroom and help create a data-driven understanding of where to best invest future resources. The results suggest that the <em>TeachEngineering</em> curricular resources and outreach initiatives help teachers build confidence in their use of engineering curriculum and pedagogy in K–12 classrooms, impact their teaching practices, and increase their likelihood of teaching engineering in the classroom in the future.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol8/iss1/4
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1192
2019-08-09T15:44:39Z
publication:jpeer
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How to Shape Attitudes Toward STEM Careers: The Search for the Most Impactful Extracurricular Clubs
Ozis, Fethiye
Pektas, Ali Osman
Akca, Mustafa
DeVoss, Daniel’le April
STEM attitude
STEM perception
extracurricular clubs
STEM gap
STEM pipeline
Educational Leadership
Engineering Education
Invited Contributions: Best Papers from ASEE Pre-College Engineering Education
<p>It is well known that strong extracurricular STEM programs provide multiple arenas for students to expand on classroom curriculum, complementing STEM skills with creative thinking and open-ended problem solving. It has been shown that there is a relationship between the number of STEM clubs students participated in and their choice of STEM major (Sahin, 2013). Considering financial problems, including budget cuts, it gets really challenging for schools to provide a plethora of clubs. For this reason, it would be very beneficial for K–12 schools to know if certain clubs are more effective in changing attitudes toward STEM majors, and therefore help strengthen the pipeline for STEM careers.</p>
<p>A quantitative study was designed to investigate if any specific STEM club amongst the ones offered at the Sonoran Schools (SS), a charter school system, created a significant difference in students’ perception toward STEM fields and majors. The data were collected through an online survey of 1,167 students across six charter schools, serving grades K–12 under the same charter system, at the end of the 2015 school year. Students who were not enrolled in STEM-related extracurricular activities were considered as a baseline. The data have shown that extracurricular STEM club involvement has significantly impacted the attitude toward STEM perception. The analysis of the data also showed that it is possible to close the notorious gender and ethnicity gaps in STEM perception and provide a diverse student population to the STEM pipeline. The hypothesis that ‘‘there is a range of impact from clubs, and some are more impactful than others’’ has been disproved to show that there is no significant difference between the clubs when it comes to their impact on student STEM perception. The findings of this study are expected to help K–12 stakeholders, administrators, club organizers, and mentors to use their resources effectively.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol8/iss1/3
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1193
2019-08-09T15:45:06Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Modification and Assessment of a Residential Summer Program for High School Women
Cloutier, Aimee
Yew, Guo Zheng
Gupta, Siddhartha
Dissanayake, Kalpani
Monaco, Paula
Mengel, Susan
Morse, Audra
women in engineering
outreach
multidisciplinary
cooperative learning
Engineering
Invited Contributions: Best Papers from ASEE Pre-College Engineering Education
<p>The importance of reducing the gender gap in engineering programs by recruiting and retaining female students is well recognized. Although women hold roughly half of all jobs in the United States, only 24% of STEM jobs are occupied by women. The problem is even more pronounced for engineering, where women held about 12% of jobs as of 2013 (Corbett & Hill, 2015). Consequently, interactive, hands-on outreach programs are a common tool used by universities to encourage interest in engineering from K–12 students. Engineering—Get Into Real Learning (E-GIRL) is a week-long, residential summer program offered by Texas Tech University for female high school students. The primary goal of the program is to help participants make informed decisions about engineering majors and careers. To this aim, the purposes of the program are: (1) to offer a platform for female high school students to learn about the various disciplines of engineering offered at Texas Tech University and other universities; (2) to provide a realistic university experience, including coursework, social, and professional development opportunities; and (3) to provide hands-on exposure to a real-world engineering problem. E-GIRL ran for the second time in the summer of 2016, based on the favorable support it received in 2015. Primary components of this year’s program were a multidisciplinary group project focused on the theme of CO<sub>2</sub> capture and storage, as well as a series of two-hour classes taught by university faculty and graduate students in the following six engineering disciplines: chemical engineering, civil engineering, environmental engineering, industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer science. This paper presents the multidisciplinary structure of the program and its connection to the project that was assigned to program participants. The curriculum structure, the in-class activities, and the method of delivery for each discipline are explained in depth. The assessment of the program’s second year, including comparisons to the results from the first year and modifications to the program based on feedback from previous program participants, are discussed. Assessment was conducted through engineering skills assessment questionnaires, which required students to self-evaluate their competence in 18 skill sets before and after the program. These skill sets are qualities often identified to be important for engineers, and encompass traits associated with problem solving, project management, teamwork, and communication skills. Key results show improved self-assessment for most of the engineering skills after the program. Additionally, the skills that did not show improved self-assessment ratings after the program were consistent throughout both years. Qualitative results show a more matured and complete understanding of engineering and the individual engineering disciplines upon completion of the program. Through oral presentations, participants demonstrated in-depth engagement with the environmental conservation theme of the project. The environmental conservation theme is consistent with the participants’ aspirations for considering an engineering career and championing sustainability, which was highlighted by program participants in 2015 as a desired additional focus of the program. Overall, the program provided an opportunity for participants to experience the multidisciplinary nature of engineering, aided participants’ understanding of the roles of individual engineering disciplines, and furnished a realistic preview of student life in a university.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol8/iss2/2
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1196
2019-08-09T15:44:59Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
They Choose to Attend Academic Summer Camps? A Mixed Methods Study Exploring the Impact of a NASA Academic Summer Pre-Engineering Camp On Middle School Students in a Latino Community
Martinez Ortiz, Araceli
Rodriguez Amaya, Laura
Kawaguchi Warshauer, Hiroko
Garcia Torres, Sara
Scanlon, Erin
Pruett, Michelle
pre-engineering camp
motivation
middle school students
Latinos
STEM careers
informal learning
NASA
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research
Science and Mathematics Education
Invited Contributions: Best Papers from ASEE Pre-College Engineering Education
<p>Early exposure to engineering and mathematics career opportunities has been indicated to influence students’ decisions regarding their academic majors and career goals. This study utilized mixed methods to analyze how changes in middle school students’ affective characteristics might be linked to their future career decision-making, following participation in an integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics summer camp. As part of the summer camp, rising sixth- through eighth-grade students attended a weeklong learning experience based on a specific engineering context. Each grade level cohort participated with their same grade peers in a 36-hour, 6-day event focused on sparking their interest in engineering careers and developing their content knowledge in select science and mathematics content areas. Pre-post testing was conducted with 65 students of diverse backgrounds in grades six through eight to measure their self-reported engineering-related self-efficacy, knowledge of engineering careers, and motivation to pursue future engineering classes and careers. In addition, interviews were conducted to examine any changes in middle school camp participants’ affective characteristics of motivation, self-efficacy, and self-determination.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol8/iss2/3
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1197
2019-08-09T15:45:13Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Teaching Engineering Design Through Wearable Device Design Competition (Evaluation)
Veety, Elena N
Sur, Jesse S
Elliott, Hannah K
Lamberth, James E, III
engineering design
K–12
wearable devices
engineering design competition
Engineering
Science and Mathematics Education
Invited Contributions: Best Papers from ASEE Pre-College Engineering Education
<p>The Wearable Device Challenge was developed at the Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Advanced Self-Powered Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technologies (ASSIST). The Challenge is rooted in the research and innovation ecosystem of the Center and its vision: to have a transformational impact on the way doctors and patients manage wellness through wearable, self-powered health and environmental monitoring systems. At its core, the program teaches middle and high school teachers and students how to apply the engineering design process to solve real-world problems through a project-based approach. The program impacts several hundred students in North Carolina annually through real-world, relevant, hands-on engineering design challenges. Teachers are empowered to introduce engineering design into a variety of both formal and informal educational settings, and students are given the opportunity to explore exciting, cutting-edge applications of science and technology that will inspire them to continue in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol8/iss2/1
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1207
2019-03-26T11:46:47Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Refining an Instrument and Studying Elementary Teachers’ Understanding of the Scope of Engineering
Pleasants, Jacob
Olson, Joanne K
nature of engineering
scope of engineering
instrument
elementary engineering education
pre-service teacher education
Elementary Education
Elementary Education and Teaching
Engineering Education
Other Teacher Education and Professional Development
Research Article
<p>To effectively incorporate engineering into their instruction, K–12 teachers need sufficient knowledge of the engineering discipline. An important component of teachers’ engineering knowledge is their understanding of the nature of engineering: what engineers do, the epistemological underpinnings of engineering, and the relationships between engineering and other fields of study. In this study, we present a quantitative tool that was developed to assess teachers’ knowledge of a particular nature of engineering dimension: the scope of engineering, which describes the demarcation between engineering and non-engineering. This tool was used to assess the knowledge of teachers and engineering graduate students, before and after they participated in a research project focused on improving elementary science and engineering instruction. Our results indicate that the scope of engineering knowledge of all participants, including the engineering graduate students, improved over the course of the project. Unexpectedly, we found that engineering graduate students were no more knowledgeable about the scope of engineering than the teachers in the study. We explore potential reasons for this result, propose recommendations for future use of the scope of engineering instrument, and discuss promising avenues for future instrument development.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol9/iss2/1
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1208
2019-09-06T15:44:49Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Elementary Teachers’ Positive and Practical Risk-Taking When Teaching Science Through Engineering Design
Radloff, Jeffrey
Capobianco, Brenda
Dooley, Annie
risk-taking
engineering design
elementary education
science teaching
Elementary Education
Elementary Education and Teaching
Engineering Education
Science and Mathematics Education
Research Article
<p>This study examines the perspectives of three generations of elementary teachers learning to teach science using engineering design and the risks associated with implementing this innovative type of reform-based science instruction. Data were gathered using semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and teacher reflections. Data analysis entailed open coding and document analysis. The findings indicated that there were four types of perceived risks: practical, pedagogical, conceptual, and personal. First-generation teachers exhibited conceptual risk-taking behavior, while second- and third-generation teachers reported practical, pedagogical, and personal risks. Benefits of risk-taking included increased student engagement in science, improved self-confidence in teaching science, and greater teacher collaboration across generations. By exploring the experiences of these three generations of teachers, we aim to make transparent the uneven shifts in thinking and practice, and the associated risks elementary school teachers took as they enacted engineering design-based science instruction.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol9/iss2/4
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1209
2019-07-26T16:23:33Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Effect of Project Lead the Way Participation on Retention in Engineering Degree Programs
Utley, Juliana
Ivey, Toni
Weaver, John
Self, Mary Jo
pre-engineering
PLTW
retention
pre-college
engineering education
Education
Engineering
Research Article
<p>A key goal of pre-college engineering programs is to increase the number and retention of students pursuing engineering degrees. The researchers conducted a transcript analysis in order to compare the retention of entering engineering majors at a university based on whether or not they participated in Project Lead the Way (PLTW) in high school. PLTW Engineering is a high school pre-engineering curriculum that offers a series of courses to increase student awareness and scaffold an understanding of engineering design. The findings from this study offer little support regarding the impact of students’ PLTW participation on engineering degree completion. However, findings do suggest some support for the impact of PLTW participation on retention from freshmen to sophomore year, particularly among minority freshmen.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol9/iss2/3
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1210
2020-09-23T12:31:24Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
The Importance of Collaborative Design for Narrowing the Gender Gap in Engineering: An Analysis of Engineering Identity Development in Elementary Students
McLean, Mandy
Nation, Jasmine M.
Spina, Alexis
Susko, Tyler
Harlow, Danielle
Bianchini, Julie
collaboration
elementary school
engineering identity
gender gap
role models
shared goals
Elementary Education
Engineering Education
Gender Equity in Education
Research Article
<p>Research suggests that, to narrow the gender gap in engineering, we should focus on helping young girls identify with engineering both because gendered attitudes emerge around kindergarten and because identity is more predictive than performance on persistence in the field. This qualitative study sought to understand the impact of collaborative engineering design on the development of engineering identities in elementary-school students and compared the findings across gender. We focused on three tiers of collaboration embedded into the engineering design process: peer groups, role models, and shared goals. More specifically, the elementary students worked in small teams and partnered with undergraduate engineers to help design and build dancing robots that come together for a coordinated dance performance. We used ethnographic methods, including pre- and post-program student interviews, video-recorded program sessions, and documentation of student work, to investigate elementary students’ engineering identities. Three themes emerged from our analysis. First, working with peers encouraged students who were initially uninterested in engineering, the majority of whom were girls, to join the program and helped them to engage in the activities. Second, partnering with engineer role models contributed to the elementary students’ developing identities as engineers: The girls were most influenced by the personal bonds they formed, while the boys were most influenced by the technical skills they learned. Third, all girls and most boys preferred the idea of working toward a shared goal over competitive projects that, as described by the students, can cause bad feelings and hurt friendships. Our work supports and extends elementary engineering literature by considering the role of multiple tiers of collaboration in identity development in girls and boys. Our results suggest that engineering design programs that foster collaboration can help more students, especially more girls, engage in and identify with engineering, thereby contributing to the narrowing of the gender gap.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol10/iss2/2
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1214
2020-04-09T14:26:07Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Recognition and Positional Identity in an Elementary Professional Learning Community: A Case Study
Wright, Christopher G
Likely, Rasheda
Wendell, Kristen B
Paugh, Patricia P
Smith, Elizabeth
positional identity
elementary engineering
teacher education
Elementary Education
Elementary Education and Teaching
Research Article
<p>Professional learning communities are typically conceived of as spaces for reducing teacher isolation, supporting informed and committed teachers, and fostering student academic gains. Focusing on a professional learning community that supported the teaching and learning of engineering in elementary schools, we also conceived of this learning environment as a space for negotiating a teacher-of- engineering identity. Calling attention to emergent issues of power and status through a lens of positional identity, this article examines a Black female educator’s sense of self as a teacher-of-engineering and how this perception was informed by participation in the professional learning community. Findings reveal that racialized and gendered positionings informed the teacher’s perception of having limited access to being recognized in this space as a teacher-of-engineering. Implications for this work include reimagining the design of professional learning spaces in engineering education that intentionally account for teachers’ identity development, as well as supporting the identity development for teachers from historically marginalized communities.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol10/iss1/1
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1223
2019-07-08T17:31:47Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
A Systematic Review of Studies on Educational Robotics
Anwar, Saira
Bascou, Nicholas Alexander
Menekse, Muhsin
Kardgar, Asefeh
educational robotics
educational robots
systematic review
K–12 education
STEM education
Educational Technology
Engineering Education
Robotics
Science and Mathematics Education
Science and Technology Studies
Research Article
<p>There has been a steady increase in the number of studies investigating educational robotics and its impact on academic and social skills of young learners. Educational robots are used both in and out of school environments to enhance K–12 students’ interest, engagement, and academic achievement in various fields of STEM education. Some prior studies show evidence for the general benefits of educational robotics as being effective in providing impactful learning experiences. However, there appears to be a need to determine the specific benefits which have been achieved through robotics implementation in K–12 formal and informal learning settings. In this study, we present a systematic review of the literature on K–12 educational robotics. Based on our review process with specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, and a repeatable method of systematic review, we found 147 studies published from the years 2000 to 2018. We classified these studies under five themes: (1) general effectiveness of educational robotics; (2) students’ learning and transfer skills; (3) creativity and motivation; (4) diversity and broadening participation; and (5) teachers’ professional development. The study outlines the research questions, presents the synthesis of literature, and discusses findings across themes. It also provides guidelines for educators, practitioners, and researchers in areas of educational robotics and STEM education, and presents dimensions of future research.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol9/iss2/2
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1232
2020-04-20T14:33:49Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Establishing a Content Taxonomy for the Coherent Study of Engineering in P-12 Schools
Strimel, Greg
Huffman, Tanner
Grubbs, Michael
Kim, Eunhye
Gurganus, Jamie
P-12 engineering education
content taxonomy
engineering literacy
Curriculum and Instruction
Engineering Education
Secondary Education and Teaching
Research Article
<p>Engineering education has increasingly become an area of interest at the P-12 level, yet attempts to align engineering knowledge, skills, and habits to existing elementary and secondary educational programming have been parochial in nature (e.g., for a specific context, grade, or initiative). Consequently, a need exists to establish a coherent P-12 content framework for engineering teaching and learning, which would serve as both an epistemological foundation for the subject and a guide for the design of developmentally appropriate educational standards, performance expectations, learning progressions, and assessments. A comprehensive framework for P-12 engineering education would include a compelling rationale and vision for the inclusion of engineering as a compulsory subject, content organization for the dimensions of engineering literacy, and a plan for the realization of this vision. The absence of such a framework could yield inconsistency in authentically educating students in engineering. In response, this study was conducted to establish a taxonomy of concepts related to both engineering knowledge and practices to support the development of a P-12 curricular framework. A modified Delphi method and a series of focus groups—which included teachers, professors, industry professionals, and other relevant stakeholders—were used to reach a consensus on engineering concepts deemed appropriate for secondary study. As a result, a content taxonomy for knowledge and practices appropriate for P-12 engineering emerged through multiple rounds of refinement. This article details the efforts to develop this taxonomy, and discusses how it can be used for standards creation, curriculum development, assessment of learning, and teacher preparation.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol10/iss1/4
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1234
2020-05-05T15:42:07Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Understanding Early Childhood Engineering Interest Development as a Family-Level Systems Phenomenon: Findings from the Head Start on Engineering Project
Pattison, Scott
Svarovsky, Gina
Ramos-Montañez, Smirla
Gontan, Ivel
Weiss, Shannon
Núñez, Verónika
Corrie, Pam
Smith, Cynthia
Benne, Marcie
interest development
early childhood
preschool
science and engineering
qualitative case study
family learning
systems theory
Head Start
diversity and equity
Developmental Psychology
Early Childhood Education
Engineering Education
Family, Life Course, and Society
Science and Mathematics Education
Research Article
<p>There is growing recognition that interest is critical for engaging and supporting learners from diverse communities in engineering and other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics. Although interest research has historically focused on older children, studies demonstrate that preschool-age and younger children also develop persistent, individualized interests in different objects, activities, and topics and that these early interests have important implications for ongoing learning and development. Unfortunately, there is relatively little research on engineering learning in early childhood and almost no work specific to the concept of interest. To begin to address this need, we conducted in-depth case study research with 15 English- and Spanish-speaking families and their preschool-age children participating in a family-based engineering education program through a local Head Start organization. Using systems theory to conceptualize interest development as involving the whole family, the study documented how both children and parents developed engineering-related interests through the program and explored the characteristics of and shifts in these interest systems. The qualitative, cross-case analysis highlighted three aspects of family-level interest development that varied across families and over time: (1) parent awareness, knowledge, and values; (2) family re-engagement with engineering activities; and (3) family use of the engineering design process. Shifts were also observed in a subset of the families that potentially signal movement toward deeper, sustained levels of engineering-related interest.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol10/iss1/6
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1235
2020-05-05T15:43:25Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
The Influence of Student Enrollment in Pre-College Engineering Courses on Their Interest in Engineering Careers
Miller, Kelly A
Sonnert, Gerhard
Sadler, Philip M
pre-college engineering
engineering career interest
STEM career interest
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research
Science and Mathematics Education
Secondary Education
Research Article
<p>Pre-college student enrollment in engineering courses increases every year in the United States, yet little is known about the relationship between taking these courses and subsequent science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career interest. Through multinomial logistic regressions, and while controlling for student background variables and prior STEM career interest, this study addresses two research questions: (1) Does completing a pre-college engineering course increase the likelihood of an engineering career interest at the end of high school? (2) Does completing a pre-college engineering course have a different influence on career interest in engineering than on career interest in other STEM fields (namely science, technology, and mathematics)? The study uses data from the Outreach Programs and Science Career Intentions survey (N 5 15,847), a large U.S. sample of college students enrolled in mandatory English courses. Our analysis reveals that the relationship between completing a pre-college engineering course and interest in a STEM career appears to be field-specific. Students completing a pre-college engineering course were two times more likely to want to pursue an engineering career than those without such a course, after controlling for a host of other relevant variables. By contrast, taking a pre-college engineering course was not associated with heightened interest in other science, technology, or mathematics careers. These findings suggest that high schools should offer engineering courses as an effective way to foster students’ career interest in engineering. This effect appears to apply similarly to all students, independent of gender, race/ethnicity, and other background variables.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol10/iss1/7
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1236
2020-04-27T14:30:26Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
Outcome Expectations and Environmental Factors Associated with Engineering College-Going: A Case Study
Matusovich, Holly
Gillen, Andrew
Carrico, Cheryl
Knight, David
Grohs, Jake
engineering
Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT)
socializers
secondary school
qualitative
Elementary Education
Research Article
<p>Family, school, and community contexts each link to secondary school enrollment, yet these factors have been comparatively examined only in limited ways. A holistic examination of contextual factors will be particularly important for engineering where college enrollment patterns vary by demographics. To begin explaining patterns of engineering college-going at different high schools across the Commonwealth of Virginia, we answered the following research questions: <em>Within a single school system and from a socializer’s perspective, what outcome expectations and environmental factors influence students’ engineering-related postsecondary educational plans? How are these factors the same and different between high schools within a school district?</em> Using a single-case-study approach and in-depth interviews with socializers (teachers, administrators, and counselors), we examined similarities and differences in outcome expectations and environmental factors at three high schools within a single school district. By integrating the results regarding outcome expectations and environmental factors, three important findings emerged: (1) relationships between outcome expectations and environmental factors vary across schools within the same system, (2) proximity to a postsecondary institution is not just about physical distance, and (3) messaging regarding career pathways matters. Each of these has practical implications but can also set the foundation for future research.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol10/iss1/5
oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:jpeer-1241
2021-04-07T13:49:51Z
publication:jpeer
publication:librariespublishing
publication:libraries
publication:pupoaj
You Want Me to Teach Engineering? Impacts of Recurring Experiences on K-12 Teachers’ Engineering Design Self-Efficacy, Familiarity with Engineering, and Confidence to Teach with Design-Based Learning Pedagogy
Smith, Shaunna
Talley, Kimberly
Ortiz, Araceli
Sriraman, Vedaraman
teacher education
self-efficacy
engineering design process
design-based learning
making
maker education
Curriculum and Instruction
Engineering Education
Teacher Education and Professional Development
Research Article
<p>This paper reports on findings from a group of ten teachers who were enrolled in a semester-long, graduate-level educational technology course that used design-based learning to explore the integration of making and the engineering design process into a variety of K-12 educational contexts. Using convergent mixed methods, this study examines how the course impacted teachers’ familiarity and confidence in teaching the engineering design process, as viewed through their pre- and post-semester engineering design self-efficacy scores and their weekly reflective journal entries. These measures are important factors for developing teacher experience and confidence in integrating engineering and design-based learning strategies within K-12 educational contexts. Statistically significant results include increased confidence in design and decreased anxiety toward design. Findings illustrate how participants acknowledged increased familiarity and confidence in teaching the engineering design process, including their increased ability to make connections to the engineering design process, maker tools, and techniques. Implications for teacher education programs are discussed.</p>
1
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpeer/vol11/iss1/2
1591307/simple-dublin-core/100//