Science and Technology Concepts in a Design and Technology Project: a pilot study

Abstract

The National Curriculum for Design and Technology (D&T) assumes that technological conceptual knowledge and knowledge learned in subjects such as science can be used in D&T tasks. There exists little help to teachers from the National Curriculum or other sources about how such knowledge should be developed or used. This pilot study of a project, involving the design and make of a moisture sensor, indicated that science knowledge developed in science lessons could not be used in technology lessons. This is argued to be because knowledge is constructed in the various contexts and hence not generalisable. Further, technological knowledge required to understand the design situation was complex and not well understood by pupils. The implications are explored in terms of science and technology teachers paying attention to the importance of context and the link of procedural knowledge developed in technology and conceptual knowledge in science.