Laying down the “T” and “E” in STEM education : design as the basis of an integrated STEM philosophy

Abstract: STEM – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – has become ubiquitous in education. How STEM and STEM education are to be defined is still a matter of debate, however, and it is only just recently that STEM education has been probed from a philosophical point of view. The need for a philosophical basis for STEM education is therefore fundamental. The aim of this study is thus to investigate specifically the role of the “T” and “E” in STEM, and how they not only may be fruitfully integrated with the “S” and “M”, as part of a philosophy of STEM education, but also potentially form a methodological backbone of such a philosophy when it comes to design. The research question that underpinned the study is: What are the affordances of Mitcham’s (1994) fourfold philosophical framework of technology for unifying the STEM subjects, with particular consideration of the “T” and “E”? The research methodology consisted of a qualitative meta-synthesis of the literature regarding the philosophy of technology and engineering, technology education, and the current issues of integrating the various STEM subjects. We conclude that from a methodological point of view – Mitcham’s “activity” – the design in technology (“T”) and engineering (“E”) holds the most promising affordances for unifying the four STEM subjects. Design as part of particular design projects may require the “design” of applicable scientific experiments as well as the design of applicable mathematics expressions and formulae specifically when modelling in “E” (and “T”)

What is Design Volition? Implications for Technology Education

Design is a central aspect of technology education and has a prominent position in curricula all over the world, not only in subjects named Design and Technology (and similar) but also in most other technology and engineering subjects, or disciplines. In philosophy, it has been asserted that design volition (axiology) has a strong relationship with and in many ways forms the basis of design as a methodological stance. In this paper, therefore, we investigate the affordances of volition/axiology as an integral philosophical component of technology education, specifically in relation to design methodology. The primary philosophical frameworks used as the foundation for this philosophical analysis are the ones presented by Carl Mitcham in his Thinking through Technology (1994) and Andrew Feenberg’s critical theory of technology. We perform a critical review of relevant literature, in line with a procedure suggested by Grant and Booth (2009). Based on this review, we attempt a clearer definition of the lucid concept of volition/axiology in the literature, as well as explicate relationships and influences between axiology and methodology in which we also review design as societal phenomenon, strong and weak intentionality, determinism, etc. In conclusion, implications for technology education are drawn

Student teachers’ preconceptions of programming as a content in the subject technology

In many countries, student teachers are not adequately prepared to teach programming in technology education once they have completed their training. There is a corresponding inadequacy of research regarding pre-service programming education in technology, although in recent years research in this area has increased. There is a lack of research specifically regarding student teachers’ experiences and development of knowledge during programming sessions in their teacher education. A knowledge important for developing competences needed for teaching in technology. This article presents a study with the aim of describing student teachers’ preconceptions about teaching programming in technology.The study uses a phenomenographic approach investigating eight student teachers’ experiences after a five-week technology course preparing for primary education, grades 4-6 (teaching pupils aged 10-12). Semi-structured interviews have been conducted with student teachers from two different higher education institutions in Sweden. From the first step of the analysis, three tentative categories have been obtained, describing student teachers’ experiences as: 1) an understanding of a language and/or a tool, 2) an understanding and use of language or tool to solve technological problems, and as 3) a way of understanding and describing a technological environment.   The results of the study will contribute to new approaches on how to vary and design the teaching of programming in technology for student teachers to develop skills that are important for their future profession

First Volksmarch to be held in Missoula Sept. 27

Variance in interest and engagement by gender is a complex and long-standing research agenda in the field of technology education. Studies report that girls are more reluctant to participate in technology education, less interested in the subject and more negative towards technology than boys. It is argued that specific attitudes and roles hinder girls from engaging in technology education because technology is presented as a predominantly male domain, which fuels ideas about what technological agency is as well as whose interest in technology and what kind of technology are regarded as legitimate. There is, however, the potential to improve female engagement if we can gain knowledge about what girls do during lessons and how they think about themselves when learning technology. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the self-image of girls aged 9 to 12 when participating in primary technology education, by using Harding’s (1986) three gender levels: the symbolic, the structural and the individual. The methods used for this study were participant observations during technology classes followed by a focus group interview. From the perspective of Harding’s three levels of gender, the analysis of the observations and the focus group interview reveals that girls confirm the prevailing male norms and conceptions that are linked to what technology is and what it means “to be technical”, despite the fact that the teacher introduces gender-neutral activities. However, there is an ambiguity in our findings because the girls also resist the self-image of not being technical, especially when they work together and have ownership of their work with and learning about technology

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

Girls’ engagement with technology education: A scoping review of the literature

The aim of this study is to review internationally published scientific literature on the subject of girls’ engagement in technology education, in order to identify the most common descriptions of girls’ engagement with technology education, girls’ technological activities, and the relationship between girls and technology. After a scoping review of the literature, 20 relevant articles were identified and included in the study; they were analysed using content analysis. The results show that, according to the reviewed studies, girls are less interested in and have less positive attitudes towards technology (education) than boys. They are also less likely to choose a technology- or STEM-oriented occupation. Several of the included studies venture possible explanations as to why this is and refer mainly to cultural factors. Those studies that do define the type of technology used in girls’ activities mostly describe a neutral, or male kind of “nuts and bolts” technology. As regards girls’ relationship to technology, there is potential for improving female engagement using apparently simple means; for example, making sure the social context of teaching is adapted to girls. The results of the literature review are discussed in terms of their implications for future research and can be used as a guide for educators and researchers in the area. In particular, the reasons for girls’ lower interest in technology education compared to boys need to be further researched, and it may be that researchers need to study girls in their own right, not in perpetual comparison with boys, in order to come closer to an answer