Authenticity in integrated STEM education – boon or fantasy? Observing upper secondary technology classroom practice

Engineering design and technological modelling have been argued as valid premises from which to increase authenticity, relevance and create bridges between the STEM disciplines while maintaining subject integrity. Previous research indicates that projects which emulate how engineers work has the potential of both integrating STEM disciplines and being authentic. At the same time, earlier research also cautions that few integrated STEM projects consider students’ interests and their everyday contexts. The aim of this study is to investigate the implementation of an integrated STEM project in the Technology Programme at a Swedish upper secondary school. The studied STEM project involves students’ designs for improving their physical school environment in terms of well-being, feasibility, and sustainability. Data collection consisted of participatory observations, as well as teacher and student interviews. The results are presented in terms of three themes, namely (1) cooperation and real-life application are fundamental for authentic learning; (2) using models and modelling for communicating design ideas are central to authentic technology and engineering; and (3) integration of STEM content and methods do not draw on all four disciplines. It is concluded that there might be easily accessible pathways to promote integrated STEM and authenticity, such as utilizing the school environment as a starting point. However, formally implementing authentic practices remain a challenge even though a majority of teachers are enthusiastic about real-world relevance in design projects. Integrated STEM in the design project mostly included technology and engineering content, and aspects of science and mathematics albeit to a lower degree, which made simultaneous integration of all STEM disciplines a challenging task

Design, system, value: The role of problem-solving and critical thinking capabilities in technology education, as perceived by teachers

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, 2013) defines its views on necessary skills for 21st century citizenship and life-long learning, advocating a generic skill set of literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving in technology-rich environments. Other sources also include critical thinking as a vital 21st century skill. There are also those who question the concept of 21st century skills, claiming that, although very important, these skills are in fact old and have been around for decades, or even centuries. Therefore, in many countries, skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving are already addressed in technology education as part of the core subject matter, especially regarding competencies connected to technological literacy. Critical thinking and particularly problem-solving have been well researched in technology education, but seldom from the teacher’s point of view. The aim of this article is to investigate Swedish compulsory school technology teachers’ views on problem-solving and critical thinking as curriculum components and as skills addressed in teaching. Twenty-one teachers were subjected to in-depth qualitative interviews. The findings of the study show that the interviewed teachers can be said to express three approaches to teaching about technology in a critical thinking and problem-solving mode: (1) the design approach, (2) the system approach, and (3) the value approach. Even though the present Swedish technology curriculum does not explicitly mention these skills, the teachers say they incorporate critical thinking and problem-solving in different settings within the subject of technology. Problem-solving and critical thinking are not seen as generic capabilities but they are always connected to and integrated with subject content in technology by the teachers. The teachers mix the approaches depending on the teaching content, especially when teaching about complex technology, although there is a tendency to disregard critical thinking capabilities when dealing with design, and neglect problem-solving skills when addressing values

Tid för teknik – om tekniklärares attityder till sin undervisning

För lärare innebär attityder till teknikundervisning mer än bara inställning till undervisningen. Det handlar också om lärarnas uppfattningar om ämnets betydelse för eleverna och för samhällsutvecklingen, om ämnets status jämfört med andra ämnen, om upplevd självförmåga hos lärarna och om upplevda förutsättningar för att kunna undervisa -alltså ett antal aspekter av attityd som påverkar undervisningen. Forskning visar att attityd till teknikämnet hos en lärare ser olika ut för olika delar av undervisningen. Sannolikheten att en lärare har en mer positiv attityd ökar om han eller hon är utbildad tekniklärare, har deltagit i fortbildningar samt om läraren jobbar på en skola där man låter ämnet synas och ta plats. Tid kan vara en nyckel till mer positiva attityder hos tekniklärare, men frågan om tid ägs till stor del av andra än lärarna själva

Swedish technology teachers’ attitudes to the technology subject and totechnology teaching.

Skolforskning i allmänhet visar på att läraren är viktig, läraren är faktiskt en av de viktigaste faktorerna för elevernas framgång. Läraren är betydelsefull både när det gäller elevernas prestationer och deras attityder. Från tidigare attitydforskning vet vi att lärarens attityder har betydelse för undervisningen, men även för lärarens eget tankesätt. När det kommer till området teknikundervisning behöver lärarnas attityder undersökas och utforskas mer, vilket denna licentiatuppsats, bestående av två delstudier, bidrar till. Den övergripande forskningsfrågan är; Vad har svenska tekniklärare i grundskolan för attityder till teknikämnet och teknikundervisningen? Tekniklärarnas attityder har undersökts med både kvantitativa och kvalitativa metoder. Den första studien baseras på en enkätundersökning med 1153 tekniklärare i Sverige. Till att börja med identifierades fyra dimensioner av attityd i materialet; Teknikundervisning är viktigt, Förutsättningarna för teknikundervisning är goda, Kursplanen är i fokus för teknikundervisningen och Läraren har intresse, kunskap och självförtroende. Vidare så fanns tre kluster av lärare, Positiva, Negativa och Blandade, vilka baserades på lärarnas attityd till teknikämnet och teknikundervisning. Därefter testades olika variabler som prediktorer för klustertillhörighet, och att ha tekniklärarutbildning visade sig vara den mest betydelsefulla prediktorn. Licentiatuppsatsens andra studie är kvalitativ och bygger på intervjuer med 10 svenska tekniklärare. I den delstudien studeras en specifik del av attityder till teknikundervisning, nämligen lärarnas upplevda kontroll, som består av två komponenter; upplevd självförmåga (self-efficacy) och kontextberoende. Studien resulterade i tre underkategorier av upplevd självförmåga (self-efficacy). Dessa var Erfarenhet, utbildning och intresse, Ämneskunskap och Förberedelse. Vidare så utvecklades fyra underkategorier av kontextberoende; Stöd av kollegor, Kursplan, Resurser och Status. Lärare har olika attityder till olika delar av teknikundervisningen, men generellt sett så har lärare med tekniklärarutbildning fördelar vad gäller attityd. Vidare så pekar resultatet på att kontextuella faktorer både kan begränsa och utveckla teknikundervisningen. Att avsätta tid på olika sätt: genom tid för teknikundervisning, tid för tekniklärare att mötas och tid för utbildning av tekniklärare, visar sig vara möjliga vägar för att komma framåt och att förbättra tekniklärares attityder till teknikundervisning.Teachers are important for students’ achievement and students’ attitudes in education in general; actually, the teacher is seen as one of the most important factors for student achievement. The teacher is important, for both the students’ achievements and mind-sets. Attitudes matters in teaching and education, which is known from previous attitude research. In technology education, teachers’ attitudes to technology education needs to be further investigated, and that is where this licentiate thesis, based on two studies, is contributing. The main research question was; What are Swedish technology teachers’ attitudes to the technology subject and to technology teaching? In this licentiate thesis, technology teachers’ attitudes were investigated by mixed methods, in two studies. The first study was based on quantitative research and an inquiry based on 1153 technology teachers in Sweden. The second study is qualitative and is based on ten interviews with Swedish technology teachers. In the first study four dimensions of attitude were found in the material; Technology education is important, Conditions are favourable for technology education, Curriculum is in focus in technology education and Confidence, interest and knowledge of the teacher is high. Further, three teacher clusters were identified, Positive, Negative and Mixed, based on teachers’ attitudes towards technology education. Predictors for cluster belonging were identified, and for a positive attitude, education in technology was identified to be the most influential predictor. In the second study, teachers’ perceived control, as a part of attitude, was studied in particular. Perceived control consist of two attitude components: self-efficacy and context dependency. Three sub-themes of self-efficacy were found; Experience, education and interest, Subject knowledge, and Preparation. Further, four sub-themes of context dependency were found; Collegial support, Syllabus, Resources and Status. Teachers in this study have different attitudes to different parts of technology education, but teachers educated in technology generally seem to have advantages, when it comes to attitudes. The results further tells that contextual factors both can limit and boost technology education. Time for teaching technology, time for technology teachers to meet and time for education of technology teachers, seems to be a key to how to find ways forward and how to improve teachers’ attitudes towards technology teaching.

Teachers’ Transformation of the Technology Subject : On teachers’ attitudes to the school subject and views of technological knowledge in technology education

En lärare behöver i sitt arbete göra val och fatta beslut som påverkar vilken undervisning eleverna får möta. Skolämnet teknik, som är ett av grundskolans obligatoriska ämnen redan från lågstadiet, har sina specifika förutsättningar och traditioner. I avhandlingen undersöks hur lärare i grundskolan tolkar teknikämnet och formar teknikundervisningen – hur lärare transformerar teknikämnet. Två perspektiv på lärares transformering ligger till grund de ingående studierna: lärares attityder till teknik-undervisning samt lärares syn på kunskap i teknikämnet.    I de fyra ingående artiklarna har olika forskningsansatser och metoder använts. En studie är kvantitativ och utgår från en enkätstudie som analyserats med olika statistiska metoder. Två studier är kvalitativa där intervjuer är metoden för den ena och fokusgrupper är metoden för den andra. I både den kvantitativa och de kvalitativa studierna är det lärare som undervisar i teknik i grundskolan i Sverige som är informanter. I avhandlingen finns också en teoretisk artikel som genom argumentation och resonemang utvecklar ett ramverk för kunskap i teknikundervisning.    Resultaten bidrar till en ökad förståelse av lärares attityder till teknik-ämnet – attityder kan se olika ut och påverkas av olika variabler. Ett av delresultaten är ett ramverk för kunskap i teknikundervisning som beskriver tre kunskapskategorier i teknikämnet, vilket kan användas som teoretiskt ramverk i forskning eller i planering och utvärdering av undervisning i teknik. Ett annat delresultat handlar om ny förståelse av hur lärare talar om kunskap i teknikundervisning och innebär att lärares syn på kunskap är bred och inkluderar mer än vad ett ramverk för kunskap gör. Det övergripande resultatet visar på aspekter som har betydelse för lärares transformering av teknikämnet. Det är både aspekter hos läraren själv såsom kunskap och attityder liksom aspekter utanför läraren som tid och kultur och traditioner på skolan. Lärarens val, mål och syften är betydelsefulla för transformeringen. För att omsätta resultaten till implikationer diskuteras begreppet medvetenhet i relation till transformering. Genom att vara medveten om att transformering sker och att ha medvetenhet om att transformering påverkas av olika aspekter så kan olika aktörer bidra till en utveckling av teknikundervisningen i grundskolan. Medvetenheten av transformering kan underlätta för läraren att hålla fokus på målen och ämnesinnehållet i teknikämnet.   A teacher needs to make choices and decisions that affect what teaching students are exposed to. The school subject of technology is mandatory in Swedish compulsory-level schools (grades 1–9) and is a subject with its own traditions and presumptions. This thesis examines how teachers perceive and shape technology education – their transformation of the subject of technology for teaching. Two aspects of transformation are explored: teachers’ attitudes towards technology education and teachers’ views of knowledge in technology education.    The study employs different research designs in each of the four articles. One study analyses quantitative survey data using statistic methods. One study is based on qualitative data from interviews, and another uses qualitative data from focus groups. These three data-oriented studies recruited teachers teaching technology in Swedish compulsory schools as participants. The fourth article is theoretical in nature and uses philosophical argumentation and reasoning to develop a framework for researching knowledge in technology education.   The results contribute to our understanding of teachers’ attitudes towards technology education – attitudes may look different and be affected by different variables. Another result is a framework for technology education based on knowledge traditions, which can be used in research or in teaching. The research also contributes new understandings about how teachers talk about knowledge in technology education, showing that teachers have a broad view of knowledge that includes more than what is included in the framework for technology education. The overall results identify several aspects of teachers’ transformation of the subject of technology. Some of these aspects pertain to the teachers themselves, such as their knowledge and attitudes. Others regard aspects external to teachers, such as time-related aspects and school culture and traditions. Teachers’ choices, goals and purposes are significant for how they transform technology into teaching practices. In seeking to move from the results of my research towards its implications, I discuss the awareness of transformation. By being aware that teaching involves transformation, and by being aware of the different aspects that affect this transformation, school and university stakeholders can contribute to the development of technology education. Being aware of the transformations involved in teaching may make it easier for teachers to stay focused on the goals and content of the subject of technology.  

How teachers value skills and content in Technology teaching in Swedishcompulsory school – a “climate” change

In the Swedish curricula, Technology is described in terms of five skills and core content divided into three areas. In this paper, we interpret and define the three areas of core content, founded on different scientific base areas (SBA): (1) Engineering science, (2) Developing and making and (3) Human, society and environment.The SBA-model is based on the Swedish Technology curriculum and is constructed with inspiration from previous research in natural science education (Östman, 1995); with relation to the philosophy of technology knowledge (e.g., Ropohl, 1997) and to technology education; in curriculum emphasis (Klasander, 2010), in different views of technology among students (DiGironimo, 2011).Technology has developed from being a vocational subject to a broader, complex and comprehensive subject. Evaluations show that teachers in Sweden have difficulties in interpreting the content of the whole subject and its skills. During the autumn and winter 2018-2019, CETIS developed a material for inspiration of teachers, which shows the width of the subject including skills, content and time consumption. In the present study, we showed the material to about 130 teachers. We asked them to discuss it in groups and to fill in a form. In the form, they were asked to value the five skills of technology, based on how important they rate the skills in comparison to each other. They could also express their opinions of the material. We analysed their values of the skills and their opinions about content in relation to SBA. The result shows that the teachers focus on SBA 2 Developing and making and SBA 3 Human, society and environment when they teach Technology. Compared to previous studies, the focus in teaching is transferred towards social and environmental aspectsQC 20190916</p

How teachers value skills and content in Technology teaching in Swedishcompulsory school – a “climate” change

In the Swedish curricula, Technology is described in terms of five skills and core content divided into three areas. In this paper, we interpret and define the three areas of core content, founded on different scientific base areas (SBA): (1) Engineering science, (2) Developing and making and (3) Human, society and environment.The SBA-model is based on the Swedish Technology curriculum and is constructed with inspiration from previous research in natural science education (Östman, 1995); with relation to the philosophy of technology knowledge (e.g., Ropohl, 1997) and to technology education; in curriculum emphasis (Klasander, 2010), in different views of technology among students (DiGironimo, 2011).Technology has developed from being a vocational subject to a broader, complex and comprehensive subject. Evaluations show that teachers in Sweden have difficulties in interpreting the content of the whole subject and its skills. During the autumn and winter 2018-2019, CETIS developed a material for inspiration of teachers, which shows the width of the subject including skills, content and time consumption. In the present study, we showed the material to about 130 teachers. We asked them to discuss it in groups and to fill in a form. In the form, they were asked to value the five skills of technology, based on how important they rate the skills in comparison to each other. They could also express their opinions of the material. We analysed their values of the skills and their opinions about content in relation to SBA. The result shows that the teachers focus on SBA 2 Developing and making and SBA 3 Human, society and environment when they teach Technology. Compared to previous studies, the focus in teaching is transferred towards social and environmental aspectsQC 20190916</p

Teacher’s Assessment in Programming : Comparing Teachers’ Individual Judgement Criteria in a Programming Course.

In schools around the world the part of technology education related to programming is increasing. There is a lot to learn about teacher’s assessment and grading of students in assignments that are related to technology, particularly in programming. Simon (2012) analyzed introductory programming exams and found that a large percentage of the marks were awarded for the product and the coding skills of the student and less for other skills such as design, debugging, testing, or explaining and documenting.To be able to give formative support teachers should also be able to assess the process in the classroom;students tinkering, creating, debugging, persevering, and collaborating. The aim of this paper is therefore to examine teachers’ individual criteria, explicit, tacit and subjective criteria, when they grade and assess students in technology tasks related to programming. We interviewed 6 teachers in Sweden, representing lower secondary school, upper secondary school and university (teacher and engineering education). A Repertory Grid Technique interview combined with a Comparative Judgement gradingwas used to examine teachers’ individual criteria in assessment. The expected outcomes from themethods are captured criteria that are implicit and based on teachers’ experience, sometimes seen as teachers’ gut feelings. Two types of criteria were found; product criteria assessing the program and process criteria assessing the ongoing process. We compared these criteria with an instrument measuring the development of creativity designed for Art education. We claim that the use of process criteria will help the teacher and the students in developing programming skills

Approaches to industrial processes in technology textbooks

The aim of this study is to explore how technology textbooks can provide students with a basis for expressing knowledge about technical solutions within industrial processes. The base and the delimitation for the study is the formulation of the specific content on industrial processes that must be taught to 13 to 15-year-olds in Swedish schools pursuant to the national syllabus. Textbooks constitute an important foundation for teaching, particularly in the subject of technology, in which teachers may find the breadth of content they are expected to teach challenging. The study analyses the sections concerning industrial processes in four different technology textbooks commonly used for students in the age group 13–15. Analysis involved interpreting content in the form of text, images, assignments etc. related to aspects that are expected to characterise students’ descriptions and explanations of technical solutions: understanding of technical solutions purpose and functionality, how components interact as a whole, similarities to other technical solutions and relating them to their own experiences. The results show that these aspects emerge in different ways depending on, among other things, how the area is presented. We found three different ways in which industrial processes are presented in the textbooks: A unique industrial process is described carefully and in detail, Sub-processes and methods are presented systematically and Industrial processes are described as technological systems at a general level. One interpretation is that, as a teacher, you can teach about industrial processes in these different ways and that which one you choose affects to what extent certain aspects of technical solutions are visualised for the students