Essential Question and Answer

STEM Literacy:  How does the incorporation of engineering concepts into science classrooms affect students' achievement?


It is found that, as children learn and grow, they have a natural inclination to curious and have the desire to explore.  Typically, these children gain knowledge through their exploration experiences.  However, in traditional classrooms, much of the exploration is removed and replaced with the feeding of direct information, whereby the students must memorize it and try to apply it on their own.  By introducing engineering concepts into the traditional classroom, students are again allowed to explore and apply ideas on their own, which should increase learning.


Another questions is then raised, however.  What does the introduction of engineering concepts in a classroom look like?  One group of researchers defined it as children engaging in, and representing the ability to, participate in conceptual planning of designs, carry out the building and testing of details of the design, and communicating the solution to the problem.  All of this involves writing, drawing, designing, producing, and speaking.  And, as a whole, students are required to learn, understand, and apply the necessary scientific concepts.  So, no longer are students merely required to memorize scientific knowledge, but, rather, they are required to truly apply it, which allows it to be synthesized and evaluated in the mind.


Through the study of a variety of classrooms, this group determined that there is an increase in student achievement when the students participate in a classroom where "engineer-design-based activity" is taking place.  Compared to a control group, students in the engineer-design-based classroom had a greater increase in scores in the units of sound, material properties, and simple machines.  However, the same did not apply to a unit involving animal adaptations.  It is speculated that the animal adaptations unit did not lend itself to engineering concepts in the same manner that the more physics-based topics did.  However, where engineering can be applied, and students are able to plan, design, build, test, and conclude about scientific concepts, students had a stronger grasp of the science content.


It really should be of little surprise that, if done correctly, an engineer-design-based activity produces greater learning.  The times that we, as humans, learn the most are the times where we get hands-on experience.  Internships, student teaching experiences, and apprenticeships are used for this very reason.  While the direct teaching of information can give knowledge, experience tends to solidify it in the mind.


Wendell, Kristen, Kathleen Connolly, Christopher Wright, Linda Jarvin, Chris Rogers, Mike Barnett, and Ismail Marulcu. "AC 2010-863: POSTER, INCORPORATING ENGINEERING DESIGN INTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE CURRICULA." American Society for Engineering Education (2010). Web. <soa.asee.org/paper/conference/paper-view.cfm?id=23412>.