Engineering as the integrator: A case study of one middle school science teacher's talk

Abstract

Background Integration of engineering into middle school science and mathematics classrooms is a key aspect of STEM integration. However, successful pedagogies for teachers to use engineering talk in their classrooms are not fully understood. Purpose/Hypothesis This study aims to address this need with the research question: How does a middle school life science teacher use engineering talk during an engineering design‐based STEM integration unit? Design/Method This case study examined the talk of a teacher whose students demonstrated high levels of learning in science and engineering throughout a three‐year professional development program. Transcripts of whole‐class verbal interactions for 18 class periods in the life science‐based STEM integration unit were analyzed using a theoretical framework based on the Framework for Quality K‐12 Engineering Education. Results The teacher used talk to integrate engineering in a variety of ways, skillfully weaving engineering throughout the unit. He framed lessons around problem scoping, incorporated engineering ideas into scientific verbal interactions, and aligned individual lessons and the overall unit with the engineering design process. He stayed true to the context of the engineering challenge and treated the students as young engineers. Conclusions This teacher's talk helped to integrate engineering with the science and mathematics content of the unit and modeled the practices of informed designers to help students learn engineering in the context of their science classroom. These findings have the potential to improve how educators and curricula developers utilize engineering teacher talk to support STEM integration.

Synthesizing Results from Empirical Research on Engineering Design Process in Science Education: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Based on the method of collecting the data, the researcher chose a research approach that was deemed more suitable, which was qualitative, compared to other research approaches. The results of this statement are in line with research in the engineering design process in science education, which mostly used a qualitative research approach (Johnston, Akarsu, Moore, & Guzey, 2019;. Meanwhile, studies that use a mixed-method research approach mostly employed data collection in more than one manner, such as classroom observations, science tests, and surveys (Guzey, Ring-Whalen, Harwell, & Peralta, 2017).…”

K-12 STEM Education: An Overview of Perspectives and Considerations

“…As the integrator, the practices of engineering and engineering design provide real-world, problem-solving contexts for learning and applying disciplinary content and practices. In addition, engineering practices require students to use informed judgments to make decisions and help them develop habits of mind such as troubleshooting, drawing from prior experiences, and learning from failure (Johnston, Akarsu, Moore, & Guzey, 2019;Morrison, 2006).…”

The steps of the Engineering Design Process (EDP) in science education: A systematic literature review

“…Last but not least, the qualitative method is found to have also been used as the research approach when it comes to the EDP. The aforementioned studies aimed to investigate conceptual understanding (Schnittka, 2011;Park, Park, & Bates, 2016;, conceptual understanding and pedagogical content knowledge (Hynes, 2012); and the use of engineering talk on middle science teacher (Johnston, Akarsu, Moore, & Guzey, 2019). In addition, King and English (2016) scrutinized the influence of the engineering design model on primary school students.…”