Technology education internationally has for some time struggled to achieve continuity between what is depicted in policy and curricular documents and the reality of day-to-day practices. With its focus often articulated through the nature of activity students are to engage with, technology teachers are recognised as having significant autonomy in…

Pupils benefit from adaptive instruction and feedback from their teachers. A prerequisite for providing adaptive instruction is that teachers' diagnostic ability enables them to correctly perceive their pupils' skill level. A short course has been developed to improve primary school teachers' diagnostic ability for engineering. Based on…

In recent years, subject content such as programming and digital literacy has become an integral part of technology education. However, research shows that many programming teachers lack sufficient formal education to teach programming and show disparate educational and professional experiences. This study investigates how three teachers'…

This research paper presents the second in a series of case studies on teaching technology education within a Canadian context. Specifically, this paper will discuss what is helping and hindering the teaching of technology education and skilled trades at the secondary level (grades 10-12) in relation to a previous intermediate level (grades 7-9)…

Even though construction tasks have a long history as an activity in the Swedish preschool, technology as a content matter (e.g., construction) is relatively new. Hence, preschool teachers are generally unsure of the content of technology and how to handle it from a teaching perspective. Thus, there is need for deeper understanding of how…

Today, many technology teachers in compulsory technology education teach design and design processes using a digital design tool, such as computer aided design (CAD). Teaching involving CAD is a relatively new element and not very much is known about what teachers intend pupils to learn in compulsory education. Thus, the aim of this study is to…

The common purpose of models is to provide simplified representations of other phenomena. Depending on type, they are suitable for communication, documentation, prognostication, problem solving, and more. Various types of models, such as drawings, mock-ups, flow charts, and mathematical formulae, are important tools in engineering work. An…

Critical Thinking (CT) consists of two components, namely, skills and dispositions. Although there is a fair amount of literature focusing on CT and the development of CT skills, the literature on CT dispositions and, in particular, strategies to promote the dispositional component of CT is lacking. This means that there is insufficient literature…

This study is based around Education Scotland's ambition to create a coherent learning framework for pupils aged 3-18, with particular focus on the technologies curricular area, and more specifically the subject of design and technology (D&T). The study investigates the views, definitions, and approaches adopted by primary and secondary…

Today's dynamic change of the pupils' technological environment certainly affects their preferences towards technology, which may be important for planning, structuring and organising general technology education. This highlights the problem of general student preferences, which are not the product of current trends but the universal rules for…

In literature, teaching for an authentic learning experience is seen as rewarding and interesting, promoting better understanding of for example sustainable development and fostering students' independence. Some upper secondary schools emphasise authentic teaching and learning on their websites, showcasing how students engage in authentic tasks.…

Design is core element of general technology education internationally. While there is a degree of contention with regards to its treatment, there is general consensus that the inclusion of design in some form is important, if not characteristic, of the subject area. Acknowledging that design is important, there are many questions which need to be…

The aims of the study were to investigate secondary school technology teachers' conceptions of technology teaching (COTT) in Beijing, China. Data were collected through individual interviews with 13 technology teachers at 10 secondary (including both middle and upper) schools of Beijing. The methodological framework for the study was based on…

This paper reports on a study exploring the variables that contribute to upper second level students' capability in a digital graphical modelling exercise in the field of technology education. The study evolves previous work in the area conducted in different contexts such as teacher education. Findings indicate deficiencies in second-level…

In the technology classroom, practical problem-solving activities require interaction between teacher and students. To explore these interactions, we use Joint Action Theory of Didactics (JATD). Joint actions occur within a didactical system where teacher, students and content are understood as an undividable whole. Of particular interest is how…