ERIC Number: EJ1230165
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1046-560X
EISSN: N/A
What Students Learn from Engineering Instruction: Perspectives from Elementary Teachers
Pleasants, Jacob; Olson, Joanne K.; Tank, Kristina M.
Journal of Science Teacher Education, v30 n7 p691-715 2019
Engineering design activities are a common way for teachers to incorporate engineering into their science classrooms, as called for by current science policy documents in the United States. However, little is known about how teachers prioritize different learning objectives during engineering design lessons. Understanding teachers' thinking on this subject is important for teacher educators because teachers' beliefs about learning goals influence their teaching practices. This study presents elementary teachers' views on what their students learned during engineering instruction, most of which was in the form of design activities, over the course of a semester. The teachers were participants in a teacher education and professional development project aimed at supporting elementary science and engineering instruction. The results indicate that most teachers described student learning in terms of developing design skills and practices, whereas very few discussed their students' learning of engineering concepts. Interestingly, teachers also frequently discussed students' learning of the nature of engineering, suggesting that they highly prioritized this outcome.
Descriptors: Engineering Education, Elementary School Teachers, Elementary School Students, Design, Science Instruction, Teaching Methods, Faculty Development, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Teacher Attitudes
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Early Childhood Education; Grade 3; Primary Education; Grade 4; Intermediate Grades; Grade 5; Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: 1440446