Analysis of Content and Digital Media Infusion Quality in Integrative STEM Education

This content and digital media analysis study was conducted within a graduate level course involving experienced science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education practitioners. Participants assessed aural/visual proposals producing an overall score, a content score, and a digital media infusion score. The scores were tabulated and analyzed for assocations within assessed clusters, specific evaluative considerations when factoring overall score, and diffenences among associative clusters. It was determined, through formulation of the Spearman’s Rho correlation matrix and further analysis through the Fisher z-transformation output, that experienced STEM educator content score correlation coefficients were statistically higher than the experienced STEM educator digital media score correlation coefficients

Contextual Problem Solving Model Origination

Problem solving has become a central focus of instructional activity in technology education classrooms at all levels (Boser, 1993). Impact assessment considerations incorporating society, culture, and economics are factors that require high-level deliberation involving critical thinking and the implementation of problem solving strategy. The purpose of this study was to analyze components, sequencing, and challenges associated with technology education student identification and development of problem solving models that factor societal, cultural, and economic considerations. Additionally, this study investigated individual problem solving strategies concerning methods, solutions, and abilities. This study identified that there is no apparent effect on initial component selection of problem solving modeling whether challenged with environmental or manufacturing issues. Students highlighted problem identification as the initial phase of the developed models. Perception of technology education student problem solving ability is high, but students tend not to vary from prescribed categorical stage models that are commonly demonstrated and used in the teacher preparation program

Analysis of Cognitive and Performance Assessments in an Engineering/Technical Graphics Curriculum

The purpose of this study was to evaluate cognitive and performance assessments using high school trade and industrial engineering/technical graphics student scores on a standardized postassessment and a series of curriculum specified performance projects in the state of North Carolina. Paired performance and cognitive student achievement data were collected and examined uncovering variations, differences, and correlations between the two methods of assessment. Significant differences between North Carolina Engineering/Technical Graphics I cognitive and performance assessment results were identified. Further examination of the data provided evidence that the cognitive and performance assessment results tend to increase or decrease together. Potential refinement of state assessment procedures and the possibility for assimilation of assessment practices given the need for varied assessment for individual and school accountability are discussed

STEM Education Fiscal Year 2015: An Analysis of Educational Investments and Expectations

In his Fiscal Year 2015 budget, President Obama proposed a strengthened investment in education with particular emphasis on STEM. With a $600.1 million budget, the President proposed several initiatives directed primarily at pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 (P–12) education. These initiatives will target the improvement of teaching and learning in P–12. Also, the postsecondary sector will target the improvement of undergraduate STEM education and increase minority participation in STEM. Anticipated returns on these investments include more and better prepared, connected, and informed STEM teachers; accelerated introduction of proven, evidence-based STEM pedagogies; increased youth engagement in STEM in traditional and informal settings; increased participation in STEM from traditionally underrepresented groups; and increased retention of students in STEM. With the President’s strong motivation toward providing students with relevant learning experiences that teach real-world skills, integrative STEM education is proposed as the vehicle to achieve the articulated goals. It is anticipated that STEM will become a foundational component of every student’s educational experience across the country, which will ultimately lead to a broader STEM-literate populous and a more robust STEM workforce. STEM education is touted as a critical area of education that will determine the future global positioning of the United States. This governmental and monetary support is encouraging, but we question whether STEM is a genuine priority considering that the STEM education budget represents less than 1% of the U.S. Department of Education’s budget and only 0.015% of the country’s overall budget. Is the funding in line with the purported importance, and will it be sufficient to achieve the articulated goals and expected returns on investment

Comparing Career Awareness Opportunities Of Academically At-Risk And Non At-Risk Freshman Engineering Students

This study explored how freshman engineering students utilized career awareness developmental opportunities prior to entry into post-secondary academics. Specifically, the study delved into separations and distinctions among students at-risk of non-continuation due to matriculation concerns and students non at-risk. Founded on the amended arrangement of Nasta’s (2007) Career Exploration Survey-Revised instrument, singular factors were studied through hypotheses targeting career awareness behaviors among at-risk and non at-risk subgroups. The results show there are possible contradictions to commonly accepted beliefs about career awareness between at-risk and non at-risk students. Several deductions, considerations, and implications are highlighted based upon the findings of the study.

Physical Attacks: An Analysis Of Teacher Characteristics Using The Schools And Staffing Survey

This study investigated physical attacks as reported by public school teachers on the most recent Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) from the National Center for Education Statistics administered by the Institute of Educational Sciences. For this study, characteristics of teachers who responded affirmatively to having been physically attacked in the past 12 months were examined. Teacher characteristics associated with being physically attacked appeared to be proportionate to those found in the general population of teachers who were not physically attacked. Several notable exceptions were gender, school type, years of experience, and school location. The mean number of physical attacks varied greatly within all characteristics examined. Of the twelve teaching areas, special education had the highest percentage of teachers who reported being physically attacked in the past 12 months and the highest mean number of physical attacks per teaching area

At-Risk Learner Preference in Engineering/Technical Graphics: An Exploratory Study

This exploratory study investigated learner preferences of secondary Career and Technical Education (CTE) Engineering/Technical Graphics students using the VARK Questionnaire.  The VARK Questionnaire is an instrument that assists in determining students’ dominant preferred learning styles, whether visual, aural, reading, or kinesthetic.  This study identifies learner preferences of high school student participants and examines learner preference differences among at-risk students and students not categorized as at-risk.  Results of this study highlight an identifiable preference toward kinesthetic learning for at-risk and not at-risk participants.  Through statistical evaluation and analysis, common learner preferences among at-risk participants and not at-risk participants were identified.  Results and findings of this study present the possibility that instruction, practice, and implementation can be uniformly addressed in CTE Engineering/Technical Graphics while maintaining favored means of learning for at-risk and not at-risk students alike

Psychometric Properties of the PSVT:R Outcome Measure: A Preliminary Study of Introductory Engineering Design Graphics

The Purdue Spatial Visualization Tests: Visualization of Rotations (PVST:R)is among the most commonly used measurement instruments to assess spatial ability. This paper presents the preliminary findings of a factor analysis of the PSVT:R given to 335 introductory engineering design graphics students. Psychometric analysis of the student sample data indicated alternate loading patterns, divergent from a single factor solution

Students’ Preferred Learning Styles in Graphic Communications

The objective of this study was to identify changes in dominant preferred learning styles of students based on instructional presentation of course content. This study evaluates dominant preferred learning styles of two groups of university students. The first group of students was enrolled in a course that introduces graphical representation in an introductory engineering design graphics course. In this course, information was primarily conveyed to students through visual-based instruction. The second group of students was enrolled in a technology-based course focusing on materials processing. In this second course, content was reiterated to students through laboratory discovery experiences in materials testing and construction of multi-material projects. Students’ dominant preferred learning styles are evaluated with the VARK Questionnaire and categorized as (V) visual, (A) aural, (R) reading, or (K) kinesthetic. The VARK Questionnaire was distributed to both student groups before the onset of instruction. The VARK Questionnaire was distributed once more to student groups at the midterm of each course. Changes in dominant preferred learning styles of students were evaluated. Cross group comparisons are made to identify variations in dominant preferred learning styles provided the two instructional approaches. A major finding for students in the engineering design graphics course is that their change in learning preference is not influenced by instructional presentation