Using language adequately within technology tasks is part of technological literacy. However, this can be challenging for students, and a teacher may need to help students to master aspects of domain specific language that matter for the task at hand. In this study, a curricular design was developed through a series of trials, with the aim to…

Iteration and improvement are important attributes of design, tacitly indicating that failure is also a part of the process. There are different conceptions of failure in engineering contexts than in other academic settings. Therefore, for beginning designers, these failure experiences may be perceived as mishaps, lowering confidence or interest.…

Information gathering activities in engineering design projects play an important role in the identification and definition of stakeholder needs and requirements. However, few studies have explored how students gather information from stakeholders and domain experts in capstone design settings. In this study, we analyzed audio recordings from 19…

Design processes can be decomposed into several steps, including information acquisition and application. Retrieving prior knowledge and experience is an important method of acquiring design information, thus designers' precedents retrieval styles reflect their design thinking. The obvious difference between industrial (ID) and mechanical design…

This paper presents the results of a 2-year longitudinal study aimed at characterizing and comparing the design cognition of high school students with and without formal engineering design experiences. The students--working as dyads--engaged in design-only sessions generating solutions in response to the same engineering design challenges. The…

National reform documents all around the world issue an urgent need for the development of integrated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) curricula. With the emphasis on the development of STEM curricula, there is also a need for improving teachers' and future teachers' conceptions of the integrated STEM approach. This study…

Over the past several years, creativity has been recognized as an important skill for success in STEM education, engineering design and computational thinking. There is limited research on how to apply Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate (CDIO) engineering design in STEM courses and how it affects students' creativity. This study strategically…

The continual trend of the declining number of prospective student teachers in technology education necessitated a revisit and investigation of the entrance requirement (for technology teacher education) of having studied technology as a school subject. Subsequently a small scale, longitudinal, quasi-experimental research project was adopted with…

Developing a knowledge of design and construction technology and engineering is often overlooked in favour of 'digital' technology such as tablets and computers. By taking children outdoors into nature, removing tablets and computers as well as artificial and synthetic materials and replacing them with only what nature provides, children become…

The Next Generation Science Standards in the United States placed a special emphasis on engineering unlike previous national science education policy documents. Some studies attempted to examine students' and teachers' nature of engineering (NOE) views, but NOE views should be better conceptualized before further exploration of students' and…

Novice design students struggle to engage with early stage design visualization tools such as sketching and prototyping. Instead students have a preference for designing with digital tools such as CAD modelling, motivated by inhibitions around sketching skill, which in turn leads to fixation and sunk cost effects. These behaviors present a barrier…

Maker education can enhance learners' creativity. Design thinking can facilitate the innovative resolution of complex problems. The design thinking literature and most maker teaching modes are limited in their promotion of learning and ability development in various dimensions. Learners have stereotypes about some professions; interventions can…

The spatial ability is defined as the combination of some abilities such as imagining the movements of objects, mental rotation, and spatial transformations. Students' spatial abilities can be enhanced through specific education programs. This study investigated the effects of engineering design-based instruction on spatial abilities of 8th grade…

Just as engineering and computational thinking have recently gained increased attention in pre-college school-based education, many museums and science centers have also designed exhibits and experiences to promote computational thinking and engineering learning. Recent reports suggest that computational and engineering thinking can empower each…

Recent education reforms highlight the importance of engineering design as a tool to improve student science learning in this new view of K-12 science education. However, little research has investigated the thought processes students use while engaging in the highly complex activity of design. Therefore, building on theories of productive…