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Learning Goals in Middle School Engineering: A Systematic Review and Comparison with NGSS and ASEE Frameworks (Fundamental)

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Conference

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Portland, Oregon

Publication Date

June 23, 2024

Start Date

June 23, 2024

End Date

July 12, 2024

Conference Session

Meet at Springfield Middle: Where Engineering Meets Education, Woozle Wuzzle!

Tagged Division

Pre-College Engineering Education Division (PCEE)

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/47721

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Paper Authors

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Natasha Lagoudas Wilkerson Texas A&M University

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Natasha Wilkerson is a Ph.D. candidate in Curriculum & Instruction with an emphasis in engineering education at Texas A&M University. She received her B.S. in Aerospace Engineering and her M.S. in Curriculum & Instruction from Texas A&M University. She is the President of the Cosmic Leap Foundation and Co-Founder of Vivify, LLC.

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Joanne K Olson Texas A&M University

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Karen E Rambo-Hernandez Texas A&M University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0001-8107-2898

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Karen E. Rambo-Hernandez is an associate professor at Texas A & M University in the College of Education and Human Development in the department of Teaching, Learning, and Culture. In her research, she is interested in the assessing STEM interventions on

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Rachelle M Pedersen Texas A&M University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0001-8530-9071

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Rachelle Pedersen is a Ph.D. student at Texas A&M studying Curriculum & Instruction (Emphasis in Engineering & Science Education). She has a Ph.D. and M.S. in Curriculum & Instruction from Texas A&M University and a B.S. in Engineering Science (Technology Education) from Colorado State University. Her research focuses on motivation and social influences (e.g. mentoring and identity development) that support underrepresented students in STEM fields. Prior to graduate school, Rachelle taught high school technology and engineering education (Robotics/Engineering, AP Computer Science, and Video Production).

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Abstract

This research paper is a systematic literature review of pre-college engineering education that includes practitioner and research articles at the middle school level from 2012 - 2022. The inclusion of engineering in the Next Generation of Science Standards (NGSS, 2013) and the release of the Framework for P-12 Engineering Learning (FPEL) developed in partnership with the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE & AE3, 2020) provide different approaches to the inclusion of engineering in K-12 settings. In order to provide more clarity on the learning goals for engineering education, this paper uses a directed content analysis design to identify the alignment of research and practitioner articles to the learning goals promoted in the NGSS (2013) and FPEL (2020). With a focus on formal middle school classrooms in the United States, this study addresses the following research questions: 1) What are the trends in articles being published?; 2) How are the FPEL learning goals reflected in the literature?; 3) How are the NGSS learning goals reflected in the literature? The search strategy resulted in 102 studies. The findings highlight the significant influence of the NGSS, which focuses on engineering practices as a context for science learning. However, interventions were not well aligned with middle school expectations. For example, NGSS expects students to use a systematic and iterative approach to design (MS-ETS1-2), but only 15% of articles promoted this learning goal despite 75% including a design activity. When considering the learning goals promoted by the FPEL, few studies reflected the view of engineering to be taught as a stand-alone discipline with little emphasis on engineering-related topics outside of design practices. Gaps in the literature and recommendations are discussed.

Wilkerson, N. L., & Olson, J. K., & Rambo-Hernandez, K. E., & Pedersen, R. M. (2024, June), Learning Goals in Middle School Engineering: A Systematic Review and Comparison with NGSS and ASEE Frameworks (Fundamental) Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/47721

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