Australasian Journal of Technology Education
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Motivating female students in technology education: Staying and thriving on the technology education pipeline of STEM
No full textLearning is an active process that functions optimally when student’s motivation is autonomous. This paper will critique elements of motivation that impact on students’ engagement in Technology Education subjects with an emphasis on female students in senior secondary years of schooling.
After interpreting Technology Education and motivational factors, the critique will examine elements identified by various authors as those which motivate modern day youth to engage in non-compulsory education. In fact, the origins of personal and group motivation need to be explored in terms of how youth utilise self-values to engage in practices that schools program for them. Of particular interest are the steps taken by schools to engage females in technology centred programs. Australian data show that young female learners are not articulating through to Mathematics, Science, Engineering, or Technology (STEM) classes and in turn not enrolling in tertiary courses such as Engineering.
The critique takes a feminist constructionist view and will draw on research undertaken in senior secondary schools in 2013. Earlier studies have claimed that the artefacts to be made and freedom of choice in the learning process had the most effect on the motivation of students as participants in Technology Education. For some students these elements have affected their intrinsic motivation by expanding their reflectivity and feelings of autonomy. By providing an apparent freedom of choice in materials, techniques, and products to be made, student motivation appears to rise.
In examining the research studies on what motivates youth - values are seen to be inextricably linked to the interests and motivation of both individuals and groups. Thus, values will be explored in the context of educational settings of students in the secondary years, with a focus on Technology Education.
The implications of the findings in the paper will provide practitioners with strategies to alter the ecology of classrooms for female participants in Technology Education programs in the long term. Those strategies are not about plugging the leaks in the STEM education pipeline, but rather about building a gendered pipeline where girls feel at home doing Technology regardless of whether their school or class is co-educational or single-sex
Integrating generative design and topology optimisation with product design values
No full textAdvances in computer technology and software increasingly encourage the usage of CAD tools for designing forms that algorithmically manipulate ‘structural’ and ‘surface’ features. These sophisticated new computational processes, broadly known as ‘generative design’ and ‘topology optimisation’, are very likely to become a regular part of the product design process for many types of products. A core value of design practice is the development of intuition and iterative skills to explore the technical and experiential performance of design concepts through sketching, model making, and prototyping. Identifying ways to integrate ‘generative design’ and ‘topology optimisation’ CAD processes with ‘making’ as a core value in product design concept development is a significant challenge - particularly for design education. A related concern is that ‘topology optimisation’ can generate structurally optimised parts for the amount and type of material used, which essentially determines the fabrication method. Often these parts in their raw form can only be made using 3D printing technologies, though they can (and often need to) be ‘styled’ or modified. Therefore, the relationship to 3D printing and its limitations as an end-part manufacturing technology must be critically tested as part of the design process. The practice-led research presented includes a case study of the design of a mountain bike (MTB) crank arm developed using an integrated design process that incorporates a series of ‘topology optimisation’ simulations. The authors undertook the project to inform the design of a new ‘generative design’ and ‘topology optimisation’ studio-based subject to be offered to second and third-year product design students at the University of Technology Sydney. The research proposes a form of integrated design practice that values ‘making’ iteratively, and the advancing CAD-based ‘generative design’ and ‘topology optimisation’ tools to responsibly support experiential learning in product design, manufacturing and engineering
Preconceptions about technical systems prevalent amongst upper secondary school pupils
No full textIn the Netherlands there is an interest in implementing engineering as part of K-12 general education. In order to know what the pupils' perception of the system concept at that level is, research into that was conducted. This study was not only carried out in the Netherlands in six schools across the country, but for comparison also in Turkey in six schools across the country. During the qualitative preparation of the research, the pupils were asked to describe what a technical system is according to them. In the quantitative main part of the study, pupils were asked to respond to 44 True/False statements in which they could indicate what a technical system is. Factor analysis has been performed to reveal the dimensions of the concept of systems that the pupils have in their minds. In contrast to studies among pupils of the lower secondary school, a clear concept about a technical system was found. The differences between male and female respondents with regard to the concept of the system, found in lower secondary education, were also found in upper secondary education. This is in contrast with what was found for the concept of engineering. The predominant knowledge of pupils with regard to the concept of the system indicated a reasonable image of technology, depending on whether it is taught in a school subject.
The technology education curriculum in New Zealand: Implications for initial teacher education programmes
No full textThe changes to the New Zealand Curriculum in technology education has implications for the nature of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes, which prepare secondary technology teachers for the profession. This article reports on a secondary technology student teacher’s evolving understanding during her one-year ITE programme. Data were collected of her learning process, to extrapolate findings about curriculum meaning-making and knowledge for practice. The student’s learning journey reflected similar challenges to existing secondary technology educators in the profession, and imply a need to support the development of resilience and self-regulatory practices, to enable a transformation of understandings. Recommendations advocate for the use of strategies which foster positive learning environments and expose student teachers to anchored approaches to learning. Such strategies are promoted as a means for student teachers to navigate disparities between what practicing teachers may value and what academic researchers assert is important to enable a future-focused approach for education
Current and future trends and issues facing technology education in Finland—Taking part in an international Delphi study
No full textThis study is part of an international research collaboration aimed at identifying current and future trends and issues in technology education in Belgium, Finland, Japan and the USA. The three-round Delphi method was utilised to solicit information from technology education stakeholders in Finland from November 2019 to April 2020. The panel of experts (N=31) comprised technology education teacher educators, researchers and experts of the national LUMA (STEM) 2020 programme and technology education developers. During the Delphi process both quantitative and qualitative approaches were utilized in gathering information and analysing the findings. In this article the focus is on comparing the most relevant trends and issues identified by craft and technology education professionals after Round 3. The data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. These findings reveal the unclear role of technology education in Finland and the need for a clear definition for it on the national curriculum level
'Shaping Things': Design Fiction as a catalyst for design in design and technology education
No full textInspired originally by the work of Bruce Sterling, this paper presents narrative accounts from experienced design and technology teachers who were introduced to the notion of “design fiction” during their teacher education programmes.
While training to teach as part of their subject study, pre-service teachers were introduced to the concept of design fiction. During their training they were encouraged to embrace the notion and use it as a catalyst to effect innovative pedagogical approaches in their teaching of design and technology. Specifically, to explore the advantages of using this concept as a tool not only on the effectual delivery of design, but in order to support the creation of a high quality conceptual outcome, where learning is concerned with innovation and the development of skill, rather than to produce a fully functional working model or artefact
What Do Teachers Say about Young Children’s ICT Skills? An Investigation of Three Kindergartens in China
No full textInformation and communication technology (ICT) has become a ubiquitous component of many people’s daily lives. While some kindergartens have begun to pay attention to young children’s ICT skills, little is known about how teachers perceive this shift and in what ways they are emphasising these skills in kindergartens. Such research is particularly uncommon in China. This study explored how teachers perceive the significance of children’s ICT skills and how they taught these skills in kindergartens in China. By interviewing fifteen teachers in three kindergartens in Nanjing, this study found that participants generally considered ICT skills to be an important capability for children although they had various interpretations of their definition. Additionally, it was found that participants had different perceptions of how children could learn ICT skills in kindergartens. The analysis suggested that a clearer and shared definition of ICT skills should be provided by policymakers
A new approach to professional learning and development for technology teachers in New Zealand: Developing networks of expertise
No full textThis article presents a study that focuses on the MÄtanga’ (MÄori term for expert) perspectives of their leadership in a professional learning and development (PLD) programme in technology education. Funded by the Ministry of Education’s Network of Expertise Initiative, the PLD programme was designed and delivered by Technology Education New Zealand (TENZ), to foster teachers’ engagement with the technology education curriculum. It aimed to develop teachers' specialist identity by focusing on Reinsfield and Williams’ notions of technological and technical thinking, by matching teachers with MÄtanga. The MÄtanga identified various factors affecting the nature of technology education in New Zealand, and had differing understandings and interpretations of technology, which resulted from their professional experiences. They recognised various factors affecting the nature of technology education in New Zealand. Most evident were the tensions in teachers’ curriculum and assessment understanding, and the pressures being placed on practitioners to remain current in their practice
Challenges in food-based education: Exploring the potential of solutions using virtual reality technology
No full textFood-based education is currently under-represented in schools and this is troubling with the high rate of obesity in New Zealand: nearly 30 percent of adults are listed as obese. This study discusses the results of a series of interviews with specialist food teachers and a case study completed at a Christchurch secondary school revealing limitations on food education delivery. A key issue identified in the research is a lack of time, with limited opportunities for practical cooking lessons revealed. Potential solutions are discussed including the use of Virtual Reality technology and gaming, supporting contemporary teaching and learning methods such as the flipped classroom
Renovating project-based learning in Israel to foster learning STEM, computational thinking and design arts
No full textAbstractIt is widely agreed that project-based learning (PBL) and design-based learning (DBL) are among the best tools that education has for fostering lifelong learning skills such as problem-solving, collaborative work and self-directed learning. In Israeli high schools, every year thousands of students prepare final projects in subjects such as electronics, computer science, mechatronics, and design arts. However, a number of issues have arisen in recent years in implementing PBL or DBL in schools, for example, the students are very loaded in their final year of high school, many students are not prepared enough to work independently on their projects, and there is very little collaboration between students majoring in various technological areas. The present article shows how the Israeli education system is trying to renovate PBL and DBL in technological classes, for example, by deploying the project work over three years of high school (10th, 11th, 12th grades), encouraging interdisciplinary projects and using online documentation of the design process. The factors that facilitate or hinder project work in school are also discussed