Reports of Center Studies Copyright (c) 2013 Utah State University All rights reserved. http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies Recent documents in Reports of Center Studies en-us Sun, 27 Jan 2013 05:11:38 PST 3600 PLTW and Epics‐High: Curriculum Comparisons to Support Problem Solving in the Context of Engineering Design http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/16 http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/16 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:09:43 PDT A comparative study was conducted to compare two approaches to engineering design curriculum between different schools (inter-school) and between two curricular approaches, Project Lead the Way (PLTW) and Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPIC High) (inter-curricular). The researchers collected curriculum materials, including handouts, lesson plans, guides, presentation files, design descriptions, problem statements, and support guides. The researchers conducted observations in the classrooms to collect qualitative indicators of engineering/technology reasoning, collect data on the nature of students‟ questions, how students define problems, and operate within the constraints of a design problem.

Observational studies were conducted with students participating in Project Lead the Way and with students participating in Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS). Study participants were asked to work through an ill-defined problem, in this case the problem of creating a new playground for an elementary school. The data from these protocols were analyzed using a coding process; a list of universal technical mental processes (Halfin, 1973) and a computer program OPTEMP (Hill, 1997) to record frequency and time of each mental process employed by the students. The data were used to identify common cognitive strategies employed by the students and to determine where students placed greatest emphasis during the observation period.

General findings indicated that participants in the EPICS-High program were in general more solution-driven problem solvers, while the Project Lead the Way participants were generally problem-driven as defined by Kruger & Cross (2006). Although the participants in both groups had completed advanced courses in mathematics; mathematics was rarely employed (less than 3%) to describe constraints of the problem or predict results of proposed solutions. Over half of the students became fixated at some point on the provided picture. (Smith, Ward, & Schumacher, 1993). This study provides important insight about how students solve ill-defined problems, providing vital information for technology education as it seeks to implement engineering design.

]]> Todd Kelley et al. A Case Study: Teaching Engineering Concepts in Science http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/17 http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/17 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:09:43 PDT This study was conducted to describe a teacher developed high school engineering course, to identify teaching strategies used in the process of delivering math and science literacy through this course, to identify challenges and constraints that occurred during its development and delivery, and to describe the strategies that were used to overcome those obstacles.

A case study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with the engineering instructor at Benilde-St. Margaret's in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. In addition, the researcher conducted classroom observations and reviewed instructional materials, teacher lesson plans, and teacher journals.

Themes that developed regarding the strategies used to deliver this particular course identified that concepts created its platform for delivery, curricular trial and error was at work, science and engineering competitions were leveraged as a basis for learning activities, project based learning and teaching were employed, there was a clear emphasis on creative thought and work, and the teacher served as a guide rather than the sole ―sage‖.

Themes developed regarding the identification of challenges and constraints that occurred during the development and delivery of this engineering course were assessment of student learning was dubious and elusive and stakeholders tended to be uneasy with this new pedagogy. Lastly, themes developed regarding the strategies used to overcome these obstacles identified financial and instructional support through business partnership and administrative support as being critical.

]]> David R. Stricker Appendix B, Curriculum Projects: Descriptive Summaries, and Appendix C (CD) http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/18 http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/18 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:09:43 PDT Engineering education in K-12 classrooms is a small but growing phenomenon that may have implications for engineering and also for the other "STEM" subjects--science, technology, and mathematics. Specifically, engineering education may improve student learning and achievement in science and mathematics, increase awareness of engineering and the work of engineers, boost youth interest in pursuing engineering as a career, and increase the technological literacy of all students. The teaching of STEM subjects in U.S. schools must be improved in order to retain U.S. competitiveness in the global economy and to develop a workforce with the knowledge and skills to address technical and technological issues.

Engineering in K-12 Education reviews the scope and impact of engineering education today and makes several recommendations to address curriculum, policy, and funding issues. The book also analyzes a number of K-12 engineering curricula in depth and discusses what is known from the cognitive sciences about how children learn engineering-related concepts and skills.

Engineering in K-12 Education will serve as a reference for science, technology, engineering, and math educators, policy makers, employers, and others concerned about the development of the country's technical workforce. The book will also prove useful to educational researchers, cognitive scientists, advocates for greater public understanding of engineering, and those working to boost technological and scientific literacy.

]]> K. Welty Learning Effects and Attitudes of Design Strategies on High School Students http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/14 http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/14 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:09:42 PDT The purpose of this research project was to use an experimental design research methodology to compare learning and attitudinal effects of two different design instructional strategies on randomly selected and assigned 11th and 12th grade students. Through the use of a common technological based problem (see Appendix A), students were guided through a design sequence that utilized two different instructional approaches (a) predictive analysis and (b) trial & error. At the completion of a five-day (15 hour) learning activity a standardized engineering design test was administered to the students to evaluate differences in engineering design capabilities. Additionally, students completed an attitude inventory related to their perceived confidence and belief in solving technological problems.

]]> Robert Wicklein et al. A Case Study of the Implementation of an Engineering Program into a High School Technology Education Classroom http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/15 http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/15 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:09:42 PDT Using a case study format, our objective was to collect data related to the following research questions:

- What criteria do teachers and districts use when selecting engineering design experiences for infusion into high school classes and which of these criteria are most effective?

- What issues, opportunities, and constraints do teachers confront as they infuse engineering concepts into technology education?

]]> Steven Shumway et al. Formulating a Conceptual Base for Secondary Level Engineering: A Review and Synthesis http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/12 http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/12 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:09:41 PDT In recent years, there has been a growing interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education across the K-16 spectrum. While much of this interest has concentrated on science and mathematics, technology and engineering are emerging as authentic educational problem solving contexts, as well as disciplines in their own right at the K-12 level. Over the past 20 years, the technology education field has concentrated on defining and implementing a set of content standards, the Standards for Technological Literacy (ITEA, 2000) (STL), with mixed results. On a national scale, the field continues to evolve from its historical industrial arts base toward more contemporary approaches to curriculum and pedagogy. In spite of the STL, which were designed to define the content base for technology education, practice continues to be driven by projects and activities with little focus on specific student learning outcomes. In addition, over the past decade, the field has shifted toward an interest in an alignment with engineering.

Corresponding with technology education‟s shift in emphasis has been the engineering profession‟s emerging interest in K-12 education. A significant part of this emphasis can be attributed to a concern among engineering educators that insufficient numbers of students, including women and minorities, are being attracted into and prepared for post-secondary engineering education. More positively, there is a growing awareness that a well crafted engineering presence within the K-12 curriculum provides a rich and authentic contextual base for mathematics and science concepts. Engineering-oriented programs, particularly at the secondary level, range from those designed to promote general engineering/technological literacy (designed for all students) to those designed to prepare students for post-secondary engineering education.

]]> Rodney L. Custer et al. Engineering Design Activity: Understanding How Different Design Activities Influence Students' Motivation in Grades 9-12 http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/13 http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/13 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:09:41 PDT The objective of this study was to evaluate grade 9-12 students’ motivation while engaged in two different engineering design projects: marble-sorter and bridge designs. The motivation components measured in this study were focused on students’ intrinsic (IGO) and extrinsic (EGO) goal orientations, task value (TV), self-efficacy for learning and performance (SELP), and control belief (CB). After finishing each project, students were asked to complete an Engineering Design Questionnaire (EDQ) survey instrument. The instrument consisted of 26 items modified from motivational scales of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ).Besides the motivational scales, five demographic and two open-ended questions exploring students’ most and least motivating aspects about their designs were added to the instrument.

From the statistical tests, the results showed a significant difference on students’ IGO during marble-sorter and bridge design activities. Students’ intrinsic goal orientation was significantly higher on bridge design than marble-sorter design. Students who planned to major in engineering or technology education were more significantly motivated working on the two design activities than those who whose majors were in other areas. Students’ EGO did not appear to be correlated to their IGO, TV, SELP, and CB. Common themes associated with student motivation in the activities are presented in this report.

]]> Oenardi Lawanto et al. The Nature and Status of STEM Professional Development: Effective Practices for Secondary Level Engineering Education http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/11 http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/11 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:09:40 PDT Recently engineering has emerged on the K-12 scene as a potentially important content area. However, K-12 teachers typically lack sufficient backgrounds to effectively integrate engineering into their classrooms. Thus teacher professional development is of critical importance. Although there have been several initiatives emerge to assist teachers in teaching engineering-related curriculum, there has been little empirical research generated. For example, little is known about best practices, engineering pedagogical content knowledge, or effective design principles for engineering professional development. Although there is a general consensus in the literature concerning a set of principles that differentiate effective teacher professional development (i.e., Garet, Porter, Desimone, Birman, & Yoon, 2001; Loucks- Horsley, Love, Stiles, Mundry, & Hewson, 2003), little is known about how these translate to an engineering context. In addition, several complex issues have emerged that impact the implementation of engineering at the K-12 level, directly affecting teacher professional development.

The purpose of this paper is to report on the landscape study funded by the National Center for Engineering Education (NCETE) to examine engineering teacher professional development. This study evolved to include a synthesis of several activities and their outcomes with the intent to help inform future research and practice within NCETE. This report summarizes three major activities: (a) the Professional Development for Engineering and Technology: A National Symposium conducted February 2007, in Dallas, Texas (NSF funded); (b) a multiple case study of engineering professional development projects (Daugherty, 2008); and (NCETE funded as part of the Landscape study) (c) the Symposium on Professional Development for Engineering and Technology Education: An Action Agenda conducted June 2009, in Atlanta, Georgia (NSF funded). This report consists of two main sections: (a) a summary of the three major activities; and (b) a synthesis and discussion of the landscape of engineering-oriented professional development at the secondary level.

]]> Rodney L. Custer et al. Cognitive Processes of Students Solving Technical Problems http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/9 http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/9 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:09:40 PDT The purpose of this study was to better understand cognitive strategies used by high school technology education students who have participated in technology education instruction with an engineering design focus. Specifically, this study evaluated the cognitive strategies of students participating in Project Lead the Way curriculum programs compared with students participating in technology education programs partnering with the National Center for Engineering and Technology Education (NCETE). High school students from these two groups were studied as they worked through an ill-defined problem: moving drinking water in developing countries. The data collected from these protocols was analyzed using a coding process and a list of universal technical mental processes (Halfin,1973) and OPTEMP software, (Hill, 1997) to record frequency and time of each mental process employed by the students. The study identified common cognitive strategies employed by students and identified where greatest emphasis was placed in the design process among the two groups. This study provides important insight for technology education as it seeks to implement engineering design.

]]> Todd Kelley et al. Identifying the Essential Aspects and Related Academic Concepts of an Engineering Design Curriculum in Secondary Technology Education http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/10 http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/10 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:09:40 PDT Technology education is a fi eld of study which seeks to promote technological literacy for all students. Some recent research in the fi eld has focused on integrating content and methodology from engineering design into technology education classes, particularly at the secondary level. This study contributes to the research base in technology education on the subject of incorporating the engineering design process into the technology education curriculum. It addressed the need for the development of a framework for understanding engineering design and the related academic concepts that can be used by professionals in the fi eld of technology education seeking to incorporate the engineering design process into the technology education curriculum. The purpose of this study was to address the question “What are the essential aspects and related academic concepts of an engineering design process in secondary technology education curriculum for the purpose of establishing technological literacy?”

A four-round Delphi process was the research methodology employed in this study to give multiple opportunities for the group opinion to coalesce. The resulting data from the Delphi process was analyzed and categorized. Only those items that met strictest criteria for high median score, low interquartile range, and consensus were accepted as very important and considered in the conclusions and recommendations. Participants in this study identifi ed forty-eight items that met these strict requirements. The conclusions made from this study were related to the integration of engineering design into secondary technology education classes. The recommendations fell into three categories: future research, instructional delivery methods, and teacher preparation.

]]> Cameron Smith et al. A Multisite Case Study of Faculty and Teacher Perceptions of NCETE Professional Development Workshops on Engineering Design Content http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/7 http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/7 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:09:39 PDT The purpose of this study was to describe a process of preparing technology education teachers to teach engineering design concepts in the context of technology education. This process was identified through a study of professional development activities that were organized and conducted by technology teacher education partner universities of the National Center for Engineering and Technology Education (NCETE) to prepare middle school and high school technology teachers to infuse engineering design, problem solving, content, and analytical skills into the K-12 curriculum. A collective multisite case study formed the methodology for this study. Data were collected through individual interview sessions that lasted 30-40 minutes, video footage, observations and artifacts. A total of 15 interviews were individually analyzed, and then compared through a cross-case analysis. Professional development emerged as a core theme and comprised the following sub themes: planning, communities of practice, professional development administration and learning environment, professional development for technology education teachers, professional development activities in the classroom, assessment, expertise, and meaning making.

]]> Paul A. Asunda Delivering Core Engineering Concepts to Secondary Level Students http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/8 http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/8 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:09:39 PDT Within primary and secondary school technology education, engineering has been proposed as an avenue to bring about technological literacy (Dearing & Daugherty, 2004; Lewis, 2005).Different initiatives such as curriculum development projects (i.e., Project ProBase and Project Lead The Way) and National Science Foundation funded projects such as the National Center for Engineering and Technology Education (NCETE) have been developed to infuse engineering into primary and secondary education. For example, one key goal of the Technology Teacher Education component of NCETE is to impact the focus and content of the technology education field at the secondary level (National Center for Engineering and Technology Education, 2005). More specifically, the goal is to facilitate students’ learning relative to core engineering principles, concepts, and ideas. A number of activities have been developed by the center to facilitate these goals, including a series of teacher professional development experiences, research designed to identify core engineering concepts, development of engineering-related activities, engagement with faculty from the STEM disciplines, and interaction with technology education pre-service teachers. Through the efforts of NCETE, three core engineering concepts within the realm of engineering design have emerged as crucial areas of need within secondary level technology education. These concepts are constraints, optimization, and predictive analysis (COPA). COPA appears to be at the core of the conceptual knowledge needed for students to understand and be able to do engineering design.

]]> Jenny Daugherty et al. Features of Engineering Design in Technology Education http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/5 http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/5 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:09:38 PDT The purpose of this study was to find critical features of engineering design that can be incorporated within technology education learning activities, and develop a rubric for assessing these features. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with three professors actively involved in engineering education. Supporting documents such as engineering design course outlines and rubrics were also examined. Using a phenomenological approach, this study identified the concept of engineering design, key features of the engineering design process, and critical elements that should be assessed in an engineering design activity in the context of technology education. A key product of the study was development of a rubric to be used in evaluating integration of engineering design as a focus for technology education.

]]> Paul A. Asunda et al. Critical Inquiry into Urban African American Students' Perceptions of Engineering http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/6 http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/6 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:09:38 PDT The purpose of this study was to critically examine the perceptions that African- American high school students have towards engineering. A qualitative research design using criterion sampling and snowballing was used to select seven African-American students from urban high schools to participate in the research. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from participants attending urban high schools on the east and west coast. Using Critical Race Theory (CRT) as the theoretical framework, the study was able to produce “emergent themes” from collected data. Findings from this study will help researchers understand how African-American students may perceive the field of engineering.

]]> Cameron D. Denson et al. Young Women’s Perceptions of Technology and Engineering: Factors Influencing Their Participation in Math, Science and Technology? http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/4 http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/4 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:09:37 PDT The current number of women in technology and engineering only represents a fraction of today’s workforce. Technological innovation depends on our nation’s best and brightest, representing all segments of our diverse society. Sanders (2005), in talking about women in technology and engineering, stated that women’s lack of participation can only be measured in jobs not filled, problems not solved, and technology not created. Research in the area of how young women view technology will provide insights into how to better encourage and prepare them for careers in technology and engineering.

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine four areas that may present barriers for women in technology and engineering: They are young women’s perceptions, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and perceived social support as they relate to their interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

The study examined pre-test measures of a group of about 2,800 girls participating in the Summer Technology and Engineering Preview at Stout (STEPS) program. This girls’ camp gives young women entering the seventh grade a chance to work in a laboratory setting with their peers with the goal of piquing their interest in the areas of technology and engineering.

The results showed that the greatest predictor of math and science interest was self-esteem, accounting for 36.4% of the variability in the interest scale. Self-efficacy was the second highest predictor, accounting for 26.5% of the variability. Perceived social support accounted for 17.8% of the variability. The least significant predictor of math and science interest was perceptions, accounting for a mere 4.1% of the variability.

]]> Leah C. Roue Engineering Student Outcomes for Grades 9-12 http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/3 http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/3 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:09:37 PDT The following research study was conducted during the 2005 – 2006 academic year. Its purpose is to help the National Center for Engineering and Technology Education determine those engineering outcomes that should be studied in high school when the high school student intends to pursue engineering in college. The results of the study will also be used to determine those engineering student outcomes that all technology education high school students should learn in order to aid them in becoming more technologically literate.

A modified Delphi approach as used for the study. The participants were a panel of experts consisting of engineers, engineering educators, or those expertly familiar with engineering education such as a government expert or learned society employee. The modified Delphi study ran for six rounds of inquiry during which the panel of experts reached consensus on the identity and importance of 43 engineering student outcomes for use in pre-engineering high school student learning. The panel of experts also reached consensus on the relative importance of three of seven groupings of engineer student outcomes for high school.

]]> Vincent Childress et al. Women: Support Factors and Persistence in Engineering http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/2 http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/2 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:09:37 PDT Limited information is available regarding the factors that promote persistence by women in engineering programs. Stated simply, the problem is that the number of women engineers continues to fall short in comparison to the gender ratio of women to men in the population in the U.S. (BEST, 2002) and worldwide (Hersh, 2000). More women engineers are needed in general and in proportion to male engineers. This study addressed two questions. (1) What are the factors that support women in engineering? and (2) What are the factors that attract women to and help them to persist in a career in engineering? The methods consisted of a search of related research to identify probably factors followed by qualitative interviews with program persisters and switchers. The most frequently cited factors were selected for inclusion in the interview protocol for the qualitative portion of this study. They were: (a) faculty support, (b) class environment, (c) department environment, (d) attraction to another discipline, (e) parental encouragement, and (f) selfconfidence. The result was an evaluation of the relative merits of the factors for persisters and switchers. Additionally a new metaphor relating to force field analysis is proposed. This metaphor was supported by the findings of the study whereby persisters reported fewer restraining forces while switchers reported fewer driving forces. The two driving forces that are common among persisters and switchers are formal support programs and peer support programs. Strengthening these two programs would increase the driving forces for all students. These findings will assist faculty, advisers, and program planners to better meet the needs of women in engineering programs and likely help to reduce the attrition rates of women in engineering.

]]> John R. Duncan et al. The Self-Management of Cognition in a Team-Based Engineering Design Project: A Case Study http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/1 http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ncete_cstudies/1 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:09:36 PDT Despite differences in educational programs offered by various engineering schools, all engineering education puts its emphasis on students’ ability to apply their knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering. Engineering students are expected to demonstrate their ability to apply that knowledge through various activities such as problem solving, design, and experimental activities during their study. In professional engineering practices, engineers are challenged to solve real-world problems that generally involve certain levels of task ambiguity and complexity. Moreover, they are often obligated to work in a team-based environment. Because of these requirements, engineering students should acquire these skills and demonstrate their ability to apply these skills during their studies.

]]> Oenardi Lawanto