A literature overview of differences between engineering education and other disciplinary education
This work-in-progress reports on a project to establish differences between STEM education, and specifically Engineering Education, and other education fields/disciplines based on empirical observations. In this study we report on first steps towards a literature overview of such differences and on the development of an analytical framework to analyze the publications.
Exploring engineering education in Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Switzerland: An international perspective
This conceptual article examines engineering education practices across Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Switzerland towards contributing to an international definition of "global engineering." While the overarching goal of engineering is the collective improvement of industry and development, engineering can look very different globally, especially in engineering education. Through profiling engineering education internationally, we seek to emphasize similarities and differences in its application towards synthesizing a set of shared practices and considerations.
The future nexus of computational thinking education: A preliminary systematic review of reviews
Recent years have seen a high volume of computational thinking (CT) review studies. However, there have been no existing studies that map these reviews with the goal of achieving comprehensive understanding of the field of CT. This paper utilizes Tikva & Tambouris’ (2021) K-12 CT research domain conceptual model as the basis for identifying and defining CT reviews, then maps the identified 38 CT reviews onto the identified domains. We pinpoint eight potential future review topics, including "communities" of tools, "modeling simulations," "problem-solving" and "scaffolding" of learning strategies, "demographic attributes" of factors, "practices" and "perspectives" of the knowledge-based areas, and the "teacher training" of capacity building. We also examine the topical keywords of the reviews and identify that the scope of the term "unplugged" is vaguely defined among the existing research, suggesting a need to refine the definition of this frequently discussed topic so as to be able to more effectively conduct supplementary reviews. Our results help to better understand the CT review field and formulate future directions.
Engineering Pedagogy Scale (EPS): Preliminary development of an observational instrument to detect elementary teachers' level of Engineering-Pedagogical Content Knowledge (E-PCK)(Fundamental)
This preliminary study proposes the Engineering Pedagogy Scale (EPS), a means of measuring PCK characteristics that may be important for effective engineering instruction. The EPS aims to be used for the evaluation, description, and categorization of the domains and indicators that represent the practices that an ideal teacher exhibits while teaching engineering practices in elementary classrooms. Throughout this project, existing instruments were investigated thoroughly, however, and none were suitable for the engineering context. This study exploring and developing relevant initial indicators is part of a series of studies; subsequent studies will provide specific indicators for each domain and describe field testing and analysis of the EPS. After iteratively designed discussions throughout the project, the preliminary findings indicated that the proposed observational instrument resulted in seven distinctive main domains. These domains included (1) unit-specific content knowledge, (2) engineering design process (EDP), (3) productive failure and success, (4) interdisciplinary applications, (5) questioning, (6) teamwork, and finally (7) discussion, feedback, and reflection. This study has both theoretical and practical implications. Theoretically, the study will contribute to the engineering education literature by extending the concept of PCK (Shulman, 1986) to the engineering education field and its theoretical viability in the elementary school setting. Practically, it is paramount that administrators, professional developers, curriculum specialists, and teachers come to understand what skills, pedagogies, and practices are needed to facilitate the successful implementation and improvement of engineering instruction. As such, a standard instrument that evaluates teachers’ E-PCK would help to identify where improvement is needed.
Making a Makerspace for children: A mixed-methods study in Chinese kindergartens
The purpose of this study was to investigate how the “Making a Makerspace” (MM) program can enhance children’s maker literacy and teachers’ understanding of maker education in makerspaces. The program was carried out in two kindergartens in China for three months and involved 407 children and 24 teachers. Six classrooms in each kindergarten were either assigned to the Makerspace condition or the control condition. Results from teacher questionnaires and observations of the children’s maker activities showed significant improvements in problem finding & solving, hands-on, creative design, and communication skills among the children in the Makerspace condition compared to the control condition. The study revealed that children in 4- and 5-year-old classes were proficient in using the Engineering Design Process in maker activities, but this was not the case for 3-year-old classes. The teachers also reported positive experiences with the MM program. This study highlights the effectiveness of makerspaces in early childhood education and provides a practical case for implementing makerspaces in kindergarten classrooms.
A systematic literature review of computational thinking in K-8 education setting through the lens of a pedagogical content knowledge analysis
As Computational Thinking (CT) becomes an increasingly necessary skill, it is crucial to examine how CT can be taught in the classroom. Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) is a practical concept to examine how CT education can be developed. This systematic literature review presents the discussion of K-8 teachers’ PCK in the implementation of CT- related activities in the classroom. Studies were extracted from Google Scholar’s database. Among these studies, 14 articles were deemed to be relevant for a more in-depth examination. Findings from this preliminary literature review suggest that teachers have clear purposes and goals for teaching CT and various instructional strategies for teaching CT. However, the existing studies lacked information about teachers’ knowledge and beliefs regarding the methods for assessing students’ CT. Practical implications and future directions to enhance K-8 teachers’ PCK on CT are discussed in this study.
Comparison of STEM, non-STEM, and mixed-disciplines pre-service teachers' early conceptions about computational thinking
This paper presents the results of an investigation on pre-service teacher' conceptions of computational thinking (CT) in Singapore prior to a two-hour introductory module on CT. Of 407 teachers, 280 provided valid responses to the pre-survey, which included questions on teachers' school subjects, current understandings of CT, confidence in their understandings of CT, and sources of the understandings. We deductively coded the open-ended responses through thematic analysis using four categories from a synthesis review on teachers' preconceptions of CT. The participants were classified into three groups, including STEM (primarily sciences and mathematics), non-STEM (e.g., humanities and languages), and mixed-disciplines (e.g., science and English language arts). The findings of the pre-survey showed that 42% of respondents (n=118) reported no prior knowledge of CT. Among the remaining 162 responses, the most popular view of CT was problem solving using various kinds of thinking, such as "logic", "abstraction", "step-by-step", and "decomposition" (n=106). STEM and mixed disciplines teachers (33%) reported higher levels of confidence compared to non-STEM teachers (15%). A higher percentage of STEM (64%) and mixed-disciplines (60%) pre-service teachers indicated learning about CT from formal courses during their university studies or teacher training, compared to non-STEM teachers (52%). This suggests that schools of education can play a bigger role in expanding CT awareness among pre-service teachers from non-STEM backgrounds. Finally, implications for teacher education are widely discussed.
A proposal for performance-based assessment of the learning of machine learning concepts and practices in K-12
Although Machine Learning (ML) is used already in our daily lives, few are familiar with the technology. This poses new challenges for students to understand ML, its potential, and limitations as well as to empower them to become creators of intelligent solutions. To effectively guide the learning of ML, this article proposes a scoring rubric for the performance-based assessment of the learning of concepts and practices regarding image classification with artificial neural networks in K-12. The assessment is based on the examination of student-created artifacts as a part of open-ended applications on the use stage of the Use-Modify-Create cycle. An initial evaluation of the scoring rubric through an expert panel demonstrates its internal consistency as well as its correctness and relevance. Providing a first step for the assessment of concepts on image recognition, the results may support the progress of learning ML by providing feedback to students and teachers.
Retrieval practices enhance computational and scientific thinking skills
The notion of teaching experts’ habits of mind (e.g., computational thinking and scientific thinking) to novices seems to have inspired many educators and researchers worldwide. In particular, a great deal of efforts has been invested in computational thinking (CT) and its manifestations in different fields. However, there remain some troubling spots in CT education as far as how to teach it at different levels of education. The same argument applies to teaching scientific thinking (ST) skills. A remedy has been suggested to narrow CT and ST skillsets down to core cognitive competencies so they can be introduced in early and middle grades and continue to be nurtured during secondary and post-secondary years. Neuroscientists suggest that the act of (computational) thinking is strongly linked to the acts of information storage/retrieval by our brain. Plus, years of research have shown that retrieval practices promote not only knowledge retention but also inductive reasoning and deductive reasoning. Not surprisingly, these reasoning skills are core elements of both CT and ST skillsets. This article will mesh the findings of a teacher professional development with the existing literature to lay a claim that retrieval practices enhance CT and ST skills. The study offered training to secondary school teachers (n = 275) who conducted classroom action research to measure the impact of retrieval practices on teaching and learning of STEM and CT concepts. We used a quasi-experimental research design with purposeful sampling and a sequential mixed-methods approach focusing on the impact of professional development on teacher outcomes and, in turn, on student outcomes. A survey of teacher participants showed that the majority (96%) of survey respondents (n = 232) reported a good understanding of retrieval strategies, and how relevant ideas can be implemented and tested in the classroom. A large number of action research (target-control) studies by teachers (n = 122) showed that students who learned STEM and CS concepts through retrieval practices consistently scored 5–30% higher than those using the usual blocked practice. In most cases, the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). While the study contributes to retrieval practices literature, those looking for best practices to teach core CT and ST skills should benefit from it the most. The study concludes with some recommendations for future research based on the limitations of its current findings.
Pre-service elementary teachers’ science and engineering teaching self-efficacy and outcome expectancy: Exploring the impacts of efficacy source experiences through varying course modalities.
Background Teacher efficacy is one of the most influential components for effective instruction, highlighting the importance of providing preservice teachers (PSTs) with opportunities to learn how to teach engineering during their college preparatory coursework. Making space for engineering instruction within science methods coursework could provide opportunities for PSTs to enhance their engineering teaching efficacy but also requires course instructors to give up some time previously devoted to science-focused instruction. The purpose of the current study was to explore how infusing engineering learning opportunities into a science methods course impacts PSTs’ engineering and science teaching efficacy and outcome expectancy. Results Pre/post-surveys were completed by PSTs enrolled in a Kindergarten-8th grade science methods course offered in four modalities (i.e., face-to-face, hybrid, online, rapid shift online). The course offered multiple engineering-focused learning activities and vicarious experiences. PSTs’ science teaching efficacy beliefs, engineering teaching efficacy beliefs, science teaching outcome expectancy, and engineering teaching outcome expectancy all significantly increased from pre- to post-test. There was no significant difference between efficacy gains based on course modality. The purposeful inclusion of multiple engineering activities and vicarious experiences allows for significant gains in science and engineering teaching efficacy and outcome expectancy regardless of the modality in which the course is taken. Conclusions This study shows that having varied efficacy source experiences while learning engineering design can result in increased efficacy, even in the absence of field experience and face-to-face coursework, and that the inclusion of these engineering experiences with science methods coursework does not detract from enhancing science teaching efficacy beliefs and outcome expectancy. Further research is needed to more closely examine individual components of science methods courses and the impacts each component has when implemented using different course modalities.