Examining and Characterizing Elementary School Teachers' Engineering Design-based Instructional Practices and Their Impact on Students' Science Achievement

摘要

Over the past ten years, considerable attention has been given to introducing K-12 students to engineering concepts and practices. This is most evident in the National Research Council's Framework for K-12 Science Education and the recent introduction and adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards. A signature component of these documents is the introduction of scientific and engineering practices. The use of "practices" signifies the importance of learning, applying, and transferring knowledge and skills simultaneously in a manner reflective of the work of scientists and engineers. For teachers, knowledge and practice are interconnected when designing and implementing meaningful science learning experiences for K-12 students, and the instructional practices teachers employ are critically important to facilitate and support K-12 students' learning of science through engineering. To date, however, little evidence has been produced about elementary teachers' engineering instructional practices and their impact on student science achievement.