K-12 science teachers in the United States are encouraged to teach their students engineering. When incorporating engineering into their science curricula, teachers commonly either focus on: (1) engineering and lace science throughout; or (2) science and lace engineering throughout. This study explores middle school students' nature of engineering…

Recent reforms in science education have supported the inclusion of engineering and their practices in K-12 curricula. To this end, many classrooms have incorporated engineering units that include design challenges. Design is an integral part of engineering and can help students think in creative and interdisciplinary ways. In this study, we…

The manuscripts in this dissertation enhance the research on the psychology of the undergraduate student experience in laboratory courses, those that typify collaborative practical work. For science and engineering fields in higher education, persistence of students who identify as female and/or as a member of an underrepresented ethnic minority…

This study investigated how engineering integrated science (EIS) curricula affect first-year technical high school students' attitudes toward science and perceptions of engineering. The effect of the EIS participation period on students' attitudes toward science was also investigated via experimental study design. Two engineering integrated…

Recent reforms in education call for science teachers to incorporate STEM concepts into their curricula. This study explores the association among student and teacher demographics, and student learning of engineering content and attitudes towards STEM after participation in an elementary or middle school engineering-based science curricula.…

Over the last fifteen years, engineering has made its way into science curriculum at all levels, elementary, middle, and high school. A need to analyze students' perception the field of engineering is warranted. Previous techniques for studying representations of scientists and build on what researchers in the science field have learned from…

In many countries around the world, there has been an increasing emphasis on improving science education. Recent reform efforts in the USA call for teachers to integrate scientific and engineering practices into science teaching; for example, science teachers are asked to provide learning experiences for students that apply crosscutting concepts…

The University of Sydney has offered an undergraduate course in particle technology using a contemporary problem based learning (PBL) methodology since 2005. Student learning is developed through the solution of complex, open-ended problems drawn from modern chemical engineering practice. Two examples are presented; i) zero emission electricity…

This research illustrates how varying enactments of an engineering-design-based science curriculum shaped the development of students' domain-specific scientific ideas and practices. In this comparative case study rooted in the analytical perspectives of activity theory and learning environments, student and teacher participants in three…

To enhance bioengineering in the chemical engineering curriculum, a Unit Operations experiment simulating the hemodialysis of creatinine was implemented. The blood toxin creatinine was used for developing a more realistic dialysis experiment. A dialysis model is presented that allows students to assess the validity of model assumptions. This work…

Described is a seminar designed for graduating senior chemical engineering majors. The class structure, schedules, goals and objectives, homework assignments, course grading, and student comments are discussed. Listed are a questionnaire for evaluating mock interviews, talk topics, and job selection criteria as developed by the students. (CW)

The products of modern biotechnology processes such as genetic engineering, DNA testing and cloning will increasingly impact on society. It is essential that young people have a well-developed scientific understanding of biotechnology and associated processes so that they are able to contribute to public debate and make informed personal…

This study examined university students' knowledge of and attitudes (n = 378) toward biotechnology in Slovakia, a conservative country where the distribution of genetically engineered products are banned by law. We found a significant positive correlation between attitudes and the level of knowledge; however, although students enrolled in biology…

Seniors in eleven eastern U.S. urban, suburban, and rural secondary schools were surveyed regarding occupational choice, especially engineering, in relation to attitudes about science and non-science courses. Researcher concludes science courses seem to discourage more than they attract career choice. (JM)

Investigates the effect of the presentation of brief biographical materials on women scientists on student knowledge of women scientists and on student perceptions of scientists. Contains 29 references. (DDR)