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Exploring First Year Engineering Students’ Levels of Technological Literacy at Two Higher Education Institutions in the Western Cape Province, South Africa
Get PDFIn this study, the technological literacy of students in their first year of an engineering programme within two higher education institution (HEI’s) is described, analysed and compared. Furthermore, the study explores the possible influences of socio-economic status (SES) on the technological literacy of engineering students. Drawing on Mitcham’s (1994) framework, he describes technological literacy by two interacting components, namely, how one ‘thinks’ about technology (nature of technology) and how one interacts with technology (interaction with technology), acknowledging the socio-cultural context of an individual, where social, cultural, educational and work backgrounds influence one’s understanding of technological literacy. The study used a mixed-method approach applying the sequential use of both quantitative and qualitative data collection. During the quantitative data collection phase, the Technological Inventory Profile (TIP) was used to determine the students’ levels of technological literacy. During the qualitative data collection phase (n=2), the profiles of one female student from a high SES and one male student from a low SES background who entered Engineering programmes, were probed. A case study approach was used to determine patterns and trends in their background that shaped their levels of technological literacy. Preliminary findings of the quantitative data using descriptive statistics suggests that students, in general, have a basic level of technological literacy based on the dimensions Artefact, Process, Direction/Instruction, Tinkering and Engagement. However, preliminary results of the qualitative part of the study using interviews with the two Engineering students shows that there is a tentative influence of SES on the participants’ technological literacy
Outdoor Learning in Early Childhood Education : A Narrative Review
Get PDFOutdoor learning environments can be beneficial in enhancing children’s engagement and motivation in different activities. Outdoor learning environments have the potential to enable transforming and meaningful experiences with imagination and play as well as to evoke ideas for craft, design, and technology education. This study aims to describe outdoor learning implementation in early childhood education based on previous studies. For this, the following research question is addressed: What are the typical opportunities and challenges in implementing outdoor learning in early childhood education? The answer is discussed in accordance with craft, design, and technology education in early childhood. The methodological approach of this study is a narrative review. The data includes 10 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, which were categorized into six categories: All-around development of children, Well-being, Multimodal hands-on learning possibilities, Nature as a resource, Teachers as mediators, and Organization. From the basis of the results, it seems obvious that carrying out CDT projects as outdoor learning would benefit children’s all-around development and well-being as well as enhance their multimodal hands-on learning opportunities. The results can be taken as a basis for researchers to plan an empirical study in outdoor contexts. They can also serve teachers as they plan a technology learning project in an outdoor environment with their younger students and teacher training in outdoor environments
Students’ Goal Orientations During a Pedagogical Innovation Process: A Study in Craft, Design and Technology Teacher Education
Get PDFLearning goal orientation profiles are used to describe an individual’s general attitudes and expectations of their performance. Students with strong goal orientation focus on the task itself, rather than on how their performance will affect themselves or their surroundings. This study aims to understand factors linked to students’ goal orientation during a pedagogical innovation process (PIP). The research material was gathered in the Craft, Design and Technology (CDT) education teacher training programme of a Finnish university. The data consisted of learning diaries (N=22) written by student teachers who, in their learning assignment, had to find a solution to an authentic problem: to design and manufacture an artefact aimed at assisting the teaching of CDT.
The results of this study indicate that the students with a high level of goal orientation experienced many beneficial factors whereas students with a low level of goal orientation experienced many disadvantageous factors during the PIP. According to the results, factors lowering goal orientation seem to be linked to students’ attitudes and study skills or to their experience of unclear instructions. The factors improving goal orientation were the possibility of learning new things and an opportunity to influence their work. The theory-driven content analysis opened up a new way of categorising the factors for students’ personal work and group work, as well as the factors related to learning assignments and teaching arrangements. According to this study, education should be organised in way that students find explicit and interesting. By understanding the factors behind the formation of learning goal orientation, teachers will be able to influence students in a way that benefits learning.
 
Section II, Introduction
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Methods and Agendas in Technology Education
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Methods and Agendas in Technology Education
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Section VI, Introduction
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Methods and Agendas in Technology Education
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Methods and Agendas in Technology Education
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Aarup 1960 and the poetics of materials
Get PDFAll design has its own conditional modes of expression; however, these are realised through the maker’s sense of the possibilities of materiality. This essay was inspired by a reclaimed piece of 1960s furniture designed in the modernist idiom, and is based upon autobiographical experiences, original works from own and contemporary aesthetic practices, and associated thoughts in the present. A completely new artistic expression was developed, which questioned the strict, use-defined style ideals and let shape reveal other values and statements than function. The intention of this essay is to put into words some of the cognitive processes in which creativity, critical reflection and the senses’ experience-based insights may bring up something new. In creative work, the goal is not to reach a single result; every little discovery made by examining something specific could open up new worlds.All design has its own conditional modes of expression; however, these are realised through the maker’s sense of the possibilities of materiality. This essay was inspired by a reclaimed piece of 1960s furniture designed in the modernist idiom, and is based upon autobiographical experiences, original works from own and contemporary aesthetic practices, and associated thoughts in the present. A completely new artistic expression was developed, which questioned the strict, use-defined style ideals and let shape reveal other values and statements than function. The intention of this essay is to put into words some of the cognitive processes in which creativity, critical reflection and the senses’ experience-based insights may bring up something new. In creative work, the goal is not to reach a single result; every little discovery made by examining something specific could open up new worlds
Examining the Replicability of Contemporary Technology Education Research
Get PDFDiscourse in psychological science concerning the replication crisis is growing, with typically cited indicators including scientific fraud, the use of questionable research practices and the failure of published effects to replicate. It is paramount that education researchers are aware of this crisis and adopt appropriate methodological and reporting practices so as to ensure that a merited degree of trust can be placed in published results. As discourse concerning replicability is currently scarce in technology education, this study presents a z-curve analysis of the replicability of contemporary technology research to instigate this type of consideration. Articles from volumes 27, 28 and 29 of the International Journal of Technology and Design Education were included in the analysis. Results show an increase in the replicability rate from 64% in volume 27 to 70% in volume 28 and finally 71% in volume 29 which should be considered as quite good. However, there is room for improvement to ensure confidence in technology education research, and practices to improve as a field are discussed.Discourse in psychological science concerning the replication crisis is growing, with typically cited indicators including scientific fraud, the use of questionable research practices and the failure of published effects to replicate. It is paramount that education researchers are aware of this crisis and adopt appropriate methodological and reporting practices so as to ensure that a merited degree of trust can be placed in published results. As discourse concerning replicability is currently scarce in technology education, this study presents a z-curve analysis of the replicability of contemporary technology research to instigate this type of consideration. Articles from volumes 27, 28 and 29 of the International Journal of Technology and Design Education were included in the analysis. Results show an increase in the replicability rate from 64% in volume 27 to 70% in volume 28 and finally 71% in volume 29 which should be considered as quite good. However, there is room for improvement to ensure confidence in technology education research, and practices to improve as a field are discussed
A Canadian Perspective on Teaching Technology
Get PDFThis paper will present the second in a series of case studies on teaching technology education within the Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada context. Specifically, this paper will discuss what is helping and hindering the teaching of technology education and skilled trades at the secondary level (grades 10-12) in relation to a previous intermediate level (grades 7-9) case study. Intermediate technology education is marginalized in relation to other areas of the general curriculum within the Canadian context. As such, this research study sought to understand if marginalization and other related themes were present at the secondary level. The Technology Education Teaching Framework (TETF) which emphasizes the role of teacher experience, professional development, and leadership was used as the primary lens of inquiry. A qualitative case study methodology framed this study. Data were collected via an online questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, and classroom observations from a purposeful typical within case sample of Canadian technology education and skilled trades teachers. Two cycle coding was used in conjunction with thematic analysis to analyze and interpret the data. Secondary technology education and skilled trades teachers share similar beliefs and pedagogical practices as their intermediate counterparts. Themes of professionalism and systemic marginalization emerged as helping and hindering teachers’ efforts. However, at this level there was an identified tension between the values associated with the technology education and skilled trades curricula. Moving forward, raising the profile of technology education is framed within the potential transferability of local strategies and solutions to other jurisdictions with similar circumstances
Creative Pedagogy in an Undergraduate Creative Design Course: Discussions around Instructor Interviews
Get PDFCreative thinking in design is a focus of PK-12 technology and engineering education. Pre-service STEM teachers from The College of New Jersey in the United States of America are required to take a course, Creative Design, as an integral part of their degree sequence. Additionally, Creative Design is a liberal learning course which fulfills a Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts requirement, and is therefore open to all students. The course is extremely popular, with approximately nine sections running each semester. Originally conceived in the 1960’s, topics covered in Creative Design include the design process, design thinking, technical drawing, design elements and principles, and human factors engineering (ergonomics). This study adopted a qualitative research design to explore if and how instructors of Creative Design employ creative pedagogy. The research question driving this inquiry was; how and in what ways are instructors of Creative Design using creative pedagogy in their classrooms? Four Creative Design instructors from The College of New Jersey were interviewed for this study. Open-ended questions allowed for deeper exploration of participants’ views and opinions. Thematic analysis was used to generate themes and gain a holistic understanding of participants’ use of creative pedagogy. Themes emerged such as open-ended problems, collaboration, and creative self-efficacy that were well aligned with research-based practices in design education
Student Teachers\u27 Understanding of Connections between Engineering Practice and Technology Education
Get PDFTechnology education and engineering are closely related. In schools when students are engaged in designing and making some outcomes it may be referred to as engineering, technology or more recently as STEM depending on national curricula. Whatever its name the undertaking of technology practice in schools has many similaraties with and therefore could lead students into engineering and engineering related careers, subsequently referred to engineering careers. It is perceived as desirable that engineers have a variety of characteristics included those that are typically associated with being ‘female’ such as considering social and moral issues impacts and empathy; however, in the Western world female numbers are very low in engineering careers. This paper is based on the premise that it is important to understand how and why this has come about. Girls need to be encouraged into engineering careers especially those fields traditionally dominated by males such as civil, mechanical and software engineering. Before we can address this issue it is important to understand what teachers understand about the links between school based technology education and engineering. As students between the ages of 11-13 years make critical decisions related to their career choice. As teachers influence their students both overtly and subliminally in this choice it is important to explore teachers’ views of engineering and technology, accordingly this paper reports on a study investigating student primary teachers’ views on engineering and its links with technology education. The results indicate that just under half of the students recognised technology as a precursor to engineering or that aspects of technology relate to aspects of engineering, however the data suggests that some of the participants recognised links based on flawed understanding of either technology or engineering