In light of the fact that technology teachers' understandings of the nature of technology (NoT) determine students' perceptions of NoT, this study turned attention to technology teachers, and developed a comprehensive theoretical instrument for assessing their understandings of NoT. The theoretical framework of NoT was proposed using a…

Although there are some researches conducted about students' conceptions of technology, little research has been conducted to reveal the primary school students' conceptions concerning technology in China. This research investigated Chinese primary school students' (aged 9-12) conceptions of technology as regards their understanding of (a) the…

The aim of the current study was to explore science teachers' perceptions of the nature of technology through the use of Q methodology. 17 science teachers were sampled as participants, and to explore their perceptions of the nature of technology, they ranked a Q-sort of 36 statements that constituted the following six categories: (i) definition…

Research on students' perceptions and understanding of technology has shown that students have a narrow view of technology: for example, technology is often manifested in students' descriptions as artefacts or objects. This study investigates the ways in which students' understanding of how technology is manifested expands during a series of…

This study aims at characterizing elementary pre-service teachers' conscious lack of knowledge about familiar technical artefacts and its relation to their knowledge about these artefacts. The participants were asked to state what they knew and also what they did not know about a sample of familiar technical artefacts such as a fan or a lock. The…

In recent years, there has been a surge in research in spatial thinking across the international community. We now know that spatial skills are malleable and that they are linked to success across multiple disciplines, most notably Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). While spatial skills have been examined by cognitive…

Technology is ubiquitous and culturally situated, influencing and impacting lives every second of every day. As humanity emerged, so did technological development. Diverse cultural groups developed technologies, related knowledge, and processes, to meet emerging needs or realise opportunities--such as trade. There is little doubt that some…

Creativity and problem-solving are 21st-century skills that students must have to respond to the complex world dominated by technology. Teaching activities integrating Design Thinking (DT) have the potential to cultivate individual skills. As future in-service teachers, pre-service teachers need to understand DT so as to be able to use it in their…

This study is about the adaptation of the Attitude Behavioural Scale (ABS) section of a Pupils' Attitudes Towards Technology (PATT) instrument for the Omani context. This study is a mixed methods research design and it consists of three phases. Phase 1 of the study is reported in this article. Phase 1 started with the selection of the PATT-USA as…

Men continue to outnumber women in many Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fields, particularly technical fields such as engineering and computer science. Educational interventions aimed at addressing the gender disparity between men and women have generally focused on increasing the interest of girls and women during high school…

This paper examines constructive play in the context of Waldorf and normative kindergartens in Israel. In conceptualizing the output of children's construction, the current research relies upon the fields of problem-solving and technological thinking, using the design process model. The research results were based on a sample of 39 construction…

Technical artifacts play a central role in teaching and learning about technology. The artifact exemplars used in the classroom to illustrate and discuss various technological concepts should therefore be carefully chosen in order to actually support the abstraction and successful transfer of these concepts. Research from the learning and…

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…

This research paper investigates the intersection of the maker movement and educational innovation, using the China-U.S. Young Maker Competition as a foundational example. It examines how maker education, fueled by hands-on learning and a curiosity-driven approach, can evolve and influence. The study explores the roles and impacts of…

Technology is a field with strong connections to the female/male dichotomy. Children start to stereotype everyday life regarding this dichotomy as early as the age of two. The preschool, through its activities--among them reading aloud from picture books--is an arena where societal norms can be either preserved or challenged. Books about different…