Calls to improve learning in science, technology, engineering,and mathematics (STEM), and particularly engineering, present significantchallenges for school systems.
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Publication
Broadening participation in engineering is an important national priority and has led to increasing demands for engineering content to be integrated into traditional K-12 curriculum.
The public has an incomplete understanding of engineers and engineering as a profession. In discussions about the public’s understanding of engineers, many have referenced the “conventional” stereotype of engineers as train operators.
One significant barrier to broadening participation in engineering and recruiting future engineers is the pervasive lack of understanding or even misunderstanding of what engineering is and what engineers do.
Our NSF-funded ITEST project focuses on the collaborative design, implementation, and study of recurrent hands-on engineering activities with middle school youth in three rural communities in or near Appalachia.
Curricular Materials
- VT PEERS: Ecology and Biome Modeling: Lesson length: 2-4 hours Grade level: 6-8 Students build models of four different biomes:
Instruments
The purpose of this study was to examine the development of the Engineering Identity Development Scale (EIDS), an instrument designed to assess elementary school students' identity development in engineering.