The impacts of two curricula on middle-level students' engineering understanding

The impacts of two curricula on middle-level students' engineering understanding

K-12 science teachers in the United States are encouraged to teach their students engineering. When incorporating engineering into their science curricula, teachers commonly either focus on (1) engineering and lace science throughout or (2) science and lace engineering throughout. This study explore...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of educational research (Washington, D.C.) Vol. 116; no. 1; pp. 1 - 16
Main Authors: Driessen, Emily P., Wilhelm, Jennifer, Cole, Merryn, Dunn, Ashley, Anderson, Kameisha
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Bloomington Routledge 02-01-2023
Taylor & Francis Inc
Subjects:
Curricula
Design
education interviews
Engineering
Engineering Education
Grade 7
Instructional Effectiveness
Interdisciplinary Approach
learning
Learning outcomes
Middle School Students
nature of engineering
Public Schools
Science Curriculum
science education
Student Attitudes
Student teacher relationship
surveys
Teaching
Teaching Methods
Technical Occupations
Kentucky
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Summary:K-12 science teachers in the United States are encouraged to teach their students engineering. When incorporating engineering into their science curricula, teachers commonly either focus on (1) engineering and lace science throughout or (2) science and lace engineering throughout. This study explores middle school students' nature of engineering understanding before and after instruction with different engineering foci through the collection and analysis of student surveys (n∼200) and interviews (n = 16). Findings demonstrated centering science while lacing engineering throughout allowed for a slight increase in the understanding that engineers use science and math, however, centering engineering allowed students to understand many more attributes of engineers (i.e., engineers invent/design/create, improve things, fix, and solve problems) after instruction than they did prior to instruction. These findings and their limitations are discussed in relation to the developing Nature of Engineering framework and the new content demands of the U.S. Next Generation Science Standards.
ISSN:0022-0671
1940-0675
DOI:10.1080/00220671.2022.2158156