Change in Elementary Student Conceptions of Engineering Following an Intervention as Seen from the Draw-an-Engineer Test

Abstract

serves as the P-12 Engineering Education Research Fellow for the Institute for P-12 Engineering Research and Learning (INSPIRE) in Purdue University's School of Engineering Education. Carr is a doctoral student in the Learning Design and Technology program through the Purdue College of Education and holds a master's degree in educational studies/gifted and talented education and a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Purdue. In addition to curriculum design related to problem solving and cognitive strategies, Carr's research interests include assessment of engineering design and "soft skills," assessment of engineering impact through STEM initiatives, integration of engineering into all content areas, instructional design and assessment of teacher professional development via online and face-to-face programs, and promotion of engineering through standards-based curriculum reform.

Changes in Elementary Students’ Engineering Knowledge Over Two Years of Integrated Science Instruction (Research to Practice)

“…Despite the minimal time spent on engineering in these classrooms, students in second, third, and fourth grade showed significant improvement in their understanding of basic engineering concepts. This is consistent with previous studies where hands-on engineering lessons have been integrated into elementary classrooms 9,10,18,21,23 . Students who have engineering lessons integrated into their third and fourth grades are able to retain their level of knowledge and further build upon it during the next academic year.…”

“…Researchers 17,22 have used open-ended instruments such as drawings, concept maps, and interviews to assess students' outcomes after implementing EiE units in elementary classrooms. As a qualitative measurement, a group of researchers have designed a coding scheme that allows systematic quantification of students' drawings about the work of an engineer 22, 23. These researchers found that students' preconceptions about engineering practice were highly focused on fixing and manual labor; however, after receiving engineering instruction in the classroom their conceptions were shifting towards design 10 . Other researchers have shown how conceptions about engineering can be elicited using conceptual maps 24 .…”

“…The inclusion of engineering in elementary classrooms has necessitated the creation of a new body of research to consider topics such as how to integrate engineering content in developmentally appropriate ways, what type of learning outcomes should be expected, and what pedagogical approaches are most effective with students in these early years. Researchers have begun to examine how engineering can be successfully integrated into elementary classrooms [6][7][8] and how the inclusion of authentic engineering lessons impacts student learning 9,10 Researchers have not yet developed an adequate understanding of the learning potential these young elementary students have in this early period of engineering education. One key aspect to understanding this learning potential is to begin research related to investigating how continued exposure to engineering across different grade levels effects student learning.…”

Problematic Internet Usage: Personality Traits, Gender, Age and Effect of Dispositional Hope Level

“…In another study in which DAET was used, the findings showed that second, 3rd and 4th grade students associated engineers with concepts, such as constructing buildings, repairing things and driving vehicles (Carr, Diefes-Dux, & Horstman, 2012). In another study in which students perceptions about engineering were identified, the researchers evaluated the drawings with a check-list they developed.…”

“…The results of all mentioned studies showed that many students perceive engineering as repairing and buildings things or driving vehicles, think that engineers perform work which requires too much physical labor and that very few students are aware of the design dimension of engineering (Bilen et al, 2014;Capobianco et al, 2011;Carr et al, 2012;Cunningham et al, 2005;Fralick et al, 2009;Gülhan & Şahin, 2018;Knight & Cunningham, 2004;Oware et al, 2007). Another finding acquired in the literature review is that, students adopted the stereotypical view that engineers are mostly male (Çetin & Asiltürk, 2017;Fralick et al, 2009;Gülhan & Şahin, 2018;Karatas et al, 2011;Koyunlu Ünlü & Dökme, 2017).…”