ERIC Number: EJ1082632
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2157-9288
EISSN: N/A
Quantifying the Information Habits of High School Students Engaged in Engineering Design
Mentzer, Nathan; Fosmire, Michael J.
Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research, v5 n2 Article 3 p22-34 2015
This study measured the information gathering behaviors of high school students who had taken engineering design courses as they solved a design problem. The authors investigated what types of information students accessed, its quality, when it was accessed during the students' process, and if it impacted their thinking during the activity. Students overwhelmingly relied on internet searching to acquire information, rather than printed materials available to them. The sites they found were generally popular rather than technical, and persuasive (i.e., trying to sell something) rather than informative. The high school students understood the need for information, as they sought a large volume of information, which they did, generally, incorporate in their solution development process, but their skill in locating high-quality information was relatively poor.
Descriptors: High School Students, User Needs (Information), Engineering Technology, Design, Study Habits, Information Sources, Information Literacy, Information Skills, Technology Education, Data Collection, Problem Solving, Investigations, Qualitative Research, Statistical Analysis, Search Strategies, Online Searching
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A