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ERIC Number: EJ1261138
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Jul
Pages: 28
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0957 7572
EISSN: N/A
Middle School Students' Perceptions of Engineers: A Case Study of Beijing Students
Liu, Min; Chiang, Feng-Kuang
International Journal of Technology and Design Education, v30 n3 p479-506 Jul 2020
This study aimed to investigate students' perceptions of engineers and how they vary by grade level and gender. This study proposes an approach to understanding the Chinese students' perceptions of engineers and the interest preference of middle school students in the way of graphic analysis and questionnaire. This descriptive study incorporated a cross-age design; qualitative data were collected from 390 students in a junior high school in Beijing. Data were analyzed using content analysis, and statistical tests were performed on eight factors. Although students have a basic common perception of engineers, gender differences exist, and there are gender stereotypes and one-sided perceptions of engineers. Most students tend to perceive engineers as males whose work area is limited to a single building. The drawings of students of higher grades are associated with mental activity in the engineering artifacts and processes factors, whereas students' drawings with the presence of physical activity gradually decline. Students consider engineering to be mental work involving advanced psychological processes such as designing and inventing. Overall, the accuracy and comprehensiveness of students' perceptions in senior grades is better than that in lower grades. Serious gender stereotypes and the phenomenon of cognitive simplification are present in middle school students' perceptions of engineers.
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China (Beijing)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A