Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation
 

Aspects of the Nature of Engineering for K-12 Science Education : A Delphi Study

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/t148fk693

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  • Recent state and national standards have increased the interest in engineering at the K-12 level. Science standards, in particular, have begun to make the case for including engineering throughout the K-12 scope of study. Despite the increased attention to engineering, the characteristics and uniqueness of the field of engineering are not clearly defined. Current policies and curriculum often present engineering in a narrow way – primarily as design. The goal of this dissertation is to elucidate aspects of the nature of engineering that are appropriate to teach at the K-12 level. A panel of experts in K-12 engineering education was convened to participate in a classic, three-round Delphi study. A total of 610 participants (science teachers, engineering teachers, science education faculty, and engineering education faculty) responded to notices posted on national educational association email lists. From the qualified respondents, a subset of 25 participants from each group were chosen randomly (for a total of 100) to participate in the survey. Of the 65 panel members that completed Round 1 of the survey, 60 also completed Round 3 for a retention rate of 92%. The panel of experts identified eight aspects of the nature of engineering they believed were important to K-12 education. These aspects were proposed by participants in Round 1 in response to an open-ended question and refined through Rounds 2 and 3 using a Likert-type scale of importance. Participants identified the following aspects as important: Divergent, Creative, Iterative, Model-driven, Communicative, Constrained by Criteria, Collaborative, and A Unique Way of Knowing. In addition, participants who completed all three rounds of the Delphi process were asked to provide a succinct definition of the nature of engineering. After qualitative coding, the nature of engineering was identified as “An iterative process that uses mathematics, science, criteria, and constraints to design solutions to human needs or wants.” The present investigation provides an empirical basis for target concepts of the nature of engineering at the K-12 level. This work is important to support development of policy, curriculum, instruction, and to provide a foundation for improved science education.
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