The Impact of a Middle School Engineering Course on Students’ Academic Achievement and Non-Cognitive Skills

Abstract

2018). The impact of a middle school engineering course on students' academic achievement and noncognitive skills. Abstract Article HistoryEngineering and integrated STEM experiences are being promoted at the K-12 level to increase interest and retention in STEM and to reinforce learning of mathematics and science content. However, research is still emerging regarding best practices for curriculum development, student impacts, and transfer of knowledge across disciplines. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of middle school engineering curriculum on students' academic achievement in science and mathematics and also on non-cognitive skills such as student engagement and self-efficacy in academics. Specifically, the Engineering Design Process (EDP) conceptual model is used as a framework for the engineering curriculum, which is also grounded in Problem-Based Learning (PBL) practices while integrating science practices and foundational mathematics. Participants include 6 th -8 th grade students at four public middle schools in Georgia. The research results show that students who have taken at least two engineering courses show statistically significant gains on state-level standardized science and mathematics tests over those students who were never enrolled in these courses. Further, the results show a statistically significant increase in cognitive and behavioral engagement in STEM and science interest. The results of this study support the idea that enabling students to practice their science and mathematics skills and knowledge within the context of interesting and engaging middle school engineering classes can significantly benefit both their engagement in STEM and their academic achievement.

Students’ Experience with Collaborative Engineering Design Challenges in a Middle School Engineering Course (Evaluation)

“…A meta-analysis by Becker and Park [7] suggest that integrated STEM education has positive impacts on students' ability to transfer knowledge to new settings and problems. Consistent with this extant research, results of our recent study showed that the integrated engineering curriculum described in this paper significantly increased students' mathematics and science test scores [8]. In addition to investigating the transfer of specific knowledge within and across STEM disciplines, there is a long tradition of educational research concerned more generally with the extent to which the positive effects of a particular learning activity or intervention extend beyond the initial learning context [9].…”

“…Researchers have also investigated how integrated STEM curricula promote the transfer of knowledge from one STEM subject or context to another, ultimately enhancing student learning [6], [7], [8]. Because STEM integration supports the specific and explicit connection of topics from different disciplines, it may make the retrieval of knowledge more efficient when applying that knowledge in a new setting [6].…”

Academic Collaborative Efforts to Promote STEM Equity in High Needs Schools

“…Common Problem-Based-Learning (PBL) activities in STEM classrooms today reflect the cognitive thought processes of engineers and are referred to as Engineering Design Challenges (Grubbs et al, 2018;Alemdar et al, 2018). Design challenge integrated learning experiences are now the preferred method of teaching STEM as these problem-solving practices are critical features of engineering education (Bartholomew et al, 2018).…”

“…These processes give K-12 students the opportunity to innovate and to operate within the realm of STEM in order to understand real world problem solving. Alemdar et al (2018) share their hypotheses that "applied engineering experiences that require active engagement with foundational mathematics and science…”

“…Quality STEM instruction embodies all students with an emphasis on problem solving and engagement with the integrated subjects. Providing quality STEM instruction for all students enhances STEM literacy through increased academic achievement, collaboration, and critical thinking resulting in more inclusive classrooms (Powell et al, 2018;Alemdar et al, 2018;Fees et al, 2018).…”