Short answer
Design educators and curriculum developers should consider how to foster a shared understanding of engineering design as a knowledge-building and sense-making process among teachers, which will in turn influence how they guide students through modelling and prototyping.
- Field
- Modelling
- Source
- Journal of Research in Science Teaching (2019)
- Method
- Comparative case study
- Sample
- 2 teachers
- Evidence
- Moderate effect
How teachers frame their understanding of engineering design significantly influences the modelling and prototyping activities they engage in and subsequently facilitate for students. This modelling research insight is drawn from a 2019 study published in Journal of Research in Science Teaching. Using Comparative case study with 2 teachers, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Design educators and curriculum developers should consider how to foster a shared understanding of engineering design as a knowledge-building and sense-making process among teachers, which will in turn influence how they guide students through modelling and prototyping.
Teacher Epistemology Shapes Engineering Design Modelling Approaches
How teachers frame their understanding of engineering design significantly influences the modelling and prototyping activities they engage in and subsequently facilitate for students.
Journal of Research in Science Teaching · 2019
Key Findings
- 01Teachers' epistemological stances (beliefs about knowledge and learning) varied, leading to different interpretations of engineering design's purpose.
- 02One teacher prioritized collaborative knowledge building about how things work through design, while the other focused on delivering a product and using prototyping as a context for reviewing scientific explanations.
Application
Design takeaway
Design educators and curriculum developers should consider how to foster a shared understanding of engineering design as a knowledge-building and sense-making process among teachers, which will in turn influence how they guide students through modelling and prototyping.
How to apply
When developing engineering design curricula or professional development for educators, explicitly discuss and explore different philosophical stances on engineering knowledge and learning, and how these influence the design and facilitation of modelling activities.
Project actions
- 01When researching engineering education, consider how the teacher's own understanding might influence their teaching methods.
- 02Investigate how different pedagogical approaches to design thinking might stem from varying beliefs about knowledge creation.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Provides a nuanced understanding of the role of teacher beliefs in engineering education.
- +Uses a comparative case study approach to highlight differences in practice.
Limitations
The small sample size of teachers makes it difficult to draw broad conclusions. The study's focus on novice teachers means the findings might not apply to more experienced educators.
Reliability & validity
The validity of the findings relies on the in-depth qualitative analysis of teacher practices and beliefs. Reliability could be enhanced by using multiple researchers to code observations and interviews, ensuring consistency in interpretation.
Think critically
To what extent do the observed differences in teacher framing reflect inherent differences in understanding engineering, versus differences in their pedagogical training and experience with teaching engineering design?
Design Principles
"The pedagogical approach to engineering design, particularly concerning modelling, is deeply influenced by the educator's underlying beliefs about the nature of engineering knowledge and the learning process."
Understanding a teacher's underlying beliefs about engineering knowledge and learning is crucial for effective design education. This insight highlights that simply providing engineering design tasks may not be enough; educators must also consider how teachers conceptualize the purpose and process of design, which directly impacts the nature of modelling activities students experience.
What This Means for Your Design
Teachers' ideas about what engineering is and how people learn it change how they teach it, especially when it comes to making models or prototypes.
How to use in your project
- 1.Use this research to justify why exploring teacher beliefs is a critical component of understanding the effectiveness of a design intervention in a classroom setting.
- 2.Reference this study when discussing how pedagogical choices in design education are rooted in deeper epistemological frameworks.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
This research highlights the significant impact of teacher epistemology on the facilitation of engineering design, particularly concerning modelling. The study found that teachers' fundamental beliefs about engineering knowledge and learning directly shaped their approaches to design tasks and the types of modelling activities they engaged students in. This underscores the importance of addressing teachers' underlying conceptual frameworks to effectively implement design-based learning.
Source
Journal of Research in Science Teaching
Epistemological framing and novice elementary teachers' approaches to learning and teaching engineering design
journal · 2019
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about teacher epistemology shapes engineering design modelling approaches?
- Design educators and curriculum developers should consider how to foster a shared understanding of engineering design as a knowledge-building and sense-making process among teachers, which will in turn influence how they guide students through modelling and prototyping. Evidence: Journal of Research in Science Teaching (2019).
- Why does "Teacher Epistemology Shapes Engineering Design Modelling Approaches" matter for design?
- Understanding a teacher's underlying beliefs about engineering knowledge and learning is crucial for effective design education. This insight highlights that simply providing engineering design tasks may not be enough; educators must also consider how teachers conceptualize the purpose and process of design, which directly impacts the nature of modelling activities students experience.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Design educators and curriculum developers should consider how to foster a shared understanding of engineering design as a knowledge-building and sense-making process among teachers, which will in turn influence how they guide students through modelling and prototyping.
- What were the main findings?
- Teachers' epistemological stances (beliefs about knowledge and learning) varied, leading to different interpretations of engineering design's purpose.. One teacher prioritized collaborative knowledge building about how things work through design, while the other focused on delivering a product and using prototyping as a context for reviewing scientific explanations.
- What research method was used?
- Comparative case study with 2 teachers.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2019 journal from Journal of Research in Science Teaching.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When developing engineering design curricula or professional development for educators, explicitly discuss and explore different philosophical stances on engineering knowledge and learning, and how these influence the design and facilitation of modelling activities.
- What are the limitations?
- The study focused on novice teachers during a specific institute, and findings may not generalize to experienced teachers or different educational contexts. The short duration of the institute and teaching period may also limit the depth of observed changes in teacher practice.