Focusing processes: potential pathways for transfer of science concepts from an engineering task

ABSTRACT

Transfer is an important outcome of science and engineering education, but little work has explored factors that facilitate transfer of science concepts from engineering tasks. The transfer literature suggests that noticing deep structure is critical for transfer, but students often fail to do so in engineering tasks. This case study investigates how four pairs of high school students engage with features and structures during an engineering activity that incorporates physics concepts. Videos, transcripts, and student worksheets from the engineering task were analysed to identify critical differences between pairs who were more and less successful on a transfer posttest. While both high and low transfer pairs noticed the deep structure of the task, high transfer pairs more effectively focused on the deep structure of the problem, by choosing to engage with it over time and determining its importance for task success. Focusing processes found in high but not low transfer pairs included co-constructive dialoguing, referencing resources to identify features to integrate into their designs, and systematically testing those features. Results imply that scholars should consider the distinction between noticing and focusing when exploring factors that influence transfer. Focusing processes may help students transfer science concepts from engineering activities to non-engineering situations.

KEYWORDS:

• Focusing
• noticing
• engineering
• science education
• transfer

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Aakash Kumar and Deena Bernett for their instrumental contributions to the development of tasks and materials. We also thank Adam Royalty, for his critical comments and questions about our developing ideas.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Laura J. Malkiewich http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2662-8387

Catherine C. Chase http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1161-1141