Research in Engineering Education Symposium 2011 - rees2009

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) Página 474 de 957
Topic: Transition 1 – Chair: Robin Clark
Engineering in an Elementary Setting: An Analysis of Context Maps
Daphne Duncan, Melissa Dyehouse and Johannes Strobel
dduncan@purdue.edu , mdyehous@purdue.edu , jstrobel@purdue.edu
Purdue University, West Lafayette
United States of America
Abstract: With the recent push for STEM (science, technology, engineering and
mathematics) education in the pre-college setting, engineering design is
emerging as a critical curricular component. Pre-college engineering
instruction, including engineering design, can influence students’ interest in
STEM and ultimately career choices towards STEM fields. In this study, students
in grades two to five completed context maps after participating in a pre-college
engineering intervention. Using the Contexts of Meaning as a theoretical
framework, context maps were coded using the five Contexts of Meaning
categories (i.e., semantic knowledge, personal experiences, metaphors,
interpretive frameworks, emotions-values-aesthetics), and with an additional
category of “misinformation.” Student maps revealed more recordings of
personal experiences than semantic knowledge, meaning students began
drawing their own meaning, interpretations, comparisons, and inferences about
engineering after the intervention. Additionally, students drew most heavily
upon the General Engineering interpretive framework. Future research calls for
a secondary coding system in order to gain a more nuanced understanding of
student knowledge and meaning.
Introduction
With the recent push for STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education
in the pre-college setting in the USA, engineering design is emerging as a critical curricular
component (Welty, 2007; Gattie & Wicklein, 2005). Pre-college engineering instruction,
including engineering design, can influence students’ perceptions of STEM, which has the
potential to later positively influence students’ career choices in these fields (Cook,
Wright, Shumway, & Terry, 2009; Welty, 2007). According to Strobel, Weber, Dyehouse,
and Gajdzik (2011), STEM instruction at the elementary (primary) level can influence
students’ perceptions about the appeal, accessibility, and potential career options of STEM
disciplines. Too often, in elementary (primary) classrooms throughout the USA, the “E” in
STEM is ignored (Strobel et al., 2011) and young students do not have the opportunity to
develop interest and talents in this area. “Engineering is meant to provide a context or
vehicle to learn other academic disciplines while introducing integrative concepts and
competencies, such as optimization, modelling, constraints, design, problem solving, and
critical thinking” (Strobel et al., 2011, p. 3). This conception of engineering was put into
practice in an elementary (primary) setting in the USA.
Pre-college students often have early misconceptions about engineers and engineering.
Many students believe engineers are involved primarily with building and repairing
Proceedings of Research in Engineering Education Symposium 2011
Madrid, 4 th - 7 th October 2011