International Journal of Technology and Design Education 

About: International Journal of Technology and Design Education is an academic journal published by Springer Science+Business Media. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Science education & Educational technology. It has an ISSN identifier of 0957-7572. Over the lifetime, 1069 publications have been published receiving 22474 citations.

Attitudes towards science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in a project-based learning (PjBL) environment

Abstract: Many scholars claimed the integration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education is beneficial to the national economy and teachers and institutes have been working to develop integrated education programs. This study examined a project-based learning (PjBL) activity that integrated STEM using survey and interview methods. The participants were 30 freshmen with engineering related backgrounds from five institutes of technology in Taiwan. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to examine student attitudes towards STEM before and after the PjBL activity. The results of the survey showed that students’ attitudes to the subject of engineering changed significantly. Most of the students recognized the importance of STEM in the science and engineering disciplines; they mentioned in interview that the possession of professional science knowledge is useful to their future career and that technology may improve our lives and society, making the world a more convenient and efficient place. In conclusion, combining PjBL with STEM can increase effectiveness, generate meaningful learning and influence student attitudes in future career pursuit. Students are positive towards combining PjBL with STEM.

Implementing the Project-Based Learning Approach in an Academic Engineering Course

Abstract: This paper presents perceptions and attitudes of freshmen students that have participated in an introductory Project-Based Learning (PBL) course in engineering. The course, `A creative introduction to mechanical engineering', was developed and is taught in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Technion. In this course, teams of students carry out mini-projects that require the design and construction of devices that perform pre-defined tasks. The qualitative paradigm was found to be suitable for studying the process undergone by the students, mainly because the study focused on the human aspect — the students' emotions, thoughts, behavior, and difficulties. Data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews with the students, the teacher, and the teaching-assistant, by observations in the classroom, and by analyzing students' reports. The paper presents the students' perceptions of: the aim of the course; the instructor's role in a PBL environment; characteristics of PBL course; advantages of the PBL from the students' point of view; PBL as a learning environment for future engineers, and implications of learning in teams.

Robotics in the early childhood classroom: learning outcomes from an 8-week robotics curriculum in pre-kindergarten through second grade

Abstract: In recent years there has been an increasing focus on the missing “T” of technology and “E” of engineering in early childhood STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) curricula. Robotics offers a playful and tangible way for children to engage with both T and E concepts during their foundational early childhood years. This study looks at N = 60 children in pre-kindergarten through second grade who completed an 8-week robotics curriculum in their classrooms using the KIWI robotics kit combined with a tangible programming language. Children were assessed on their knowledge of foundational robotics and programming concepts upon completion of the curriculum. Results show that beginning in pre-kindergarten, children were able to master basic robotics and programming skills, while the older children were able to master increasingly complex concepts using the same robotics kit in the same amount of time. Implications for developmentally appropriate design of technology, as well as structure and pace of robotics curricula for young children are addressed.

Conceptual and Procedural Knowledge

Abstract: The ideas that underlie the title of this chapter have been part of a familiar debate in education, namely that of the contrast of content and process. In both science and mathematics similar arguments have taken place, and these debates represent a healthy examination of, not only the aims of science and mathematics education, but the teaching and learning issues, and as such they reflect the relative maturity of these subject areas. Even in technology education, which is still in its infancy as a subject, echoes of these debates exist and there are contrasts of approaches to the balance of process and content across the world. The ‘debate’ in technology is evangelical in nature, with for example, proponents making claims for problem-solving approaches as a basis for teaching with few accounts and almost no empirical research of what actually happens in classrooms. There is insufficient consideration of the learning issues behind this, or other proposals, and it is timely to turn our attention to student learning. This article examines the nature of technological knowledge and what we know about learning related to it. The article argues that learning procedural and conceptual knowledge associated with technological activity poses challenges for both technology educators and those concerned with research on learning.

Implementation and Assessment of Project-Based Learning in a Flexible Environment

Abstract: Project-based learning (PBL) is a well-known method for imparting thinking competencies and creating flexible learning environments. Advancing low-achieving pupils is an on-going challenge for educational systems. Routing low-achievers into low-learning tracks creates a vicious circle. In order to extract pupils and their teachers from the on-going cycle of failure, and to promote pupils cognitively and emotionally, four steps were taken: defining significant goals for the pupils as well as for the teachers, changing the learning environment, carrying out original projects taking advantage of the pupils' special skills and abilities, and changing assessment methods for project-based learning activities in a computerized environment. This paper presents a continuous field research that has used qualitative and quantitative tools for exploring pupils' progress in the affective and the cognitive domains. The research tools were: Analysis of pupils' portfolios, observations of class activities, interviews with pupils, teachers and school management, achievements in the matriculation examinations, and assessment of pupils' projects. The findings indicate that scientific-technological PBL elevated pupils' motivation and self-image at all levels and achieved significant affective learning. The activities over three years are summarized and show an increase in the number of students achieving the college admittance requirements. Most of the low-achieving pupils succeeded with distinction in the same matriculation exams that the high-achievers did in the same school.