The Influence of an Engineering Design Experience on Elementary Teachers' Nature of Engineering Views

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-6-2019

Publication Title

International Journal of Technology and Design Education

First page number:

1

Last page number:

22

Abstract

The Next Generation Science Standards in the United States placed a special emphasis on engineering unlike previous national science education policy documents. Some studies attempted to examine students’ and teachers’ nature of engineering (NOE) views, but NOE views should be better conceptualized before further exploration of students’ and teachers’ NOE views. This study sought to assess the influence of solving an engineering design problem on elementary teachers’ nature of engineering (NOE) views. We examined changes in NOE views of 30 elementary teachers from different schools in a large urban school district in southwestern United States. An open-ended NOE questionnaire coupled with individual interviews was used to collect data about participants’ NOE views before and after the engineering design experience. Elementary teachers participated in a 3-day professional development program that engaged them in designing soda can crushers. Overall, we found that elementary teachers made substantial gains in their NOE views. The result of the present study supports the inclusion of more explicit and reflective strategies to teach NOE aspects during engineering design experiences.

Keywords

Engineering design; Nature of engineering; Elementary teachers

Disciplines

Educational Methods | Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration | Science and Mathematics Education

Language

English

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