Engineering design in the primary school: applying stem concepts to build an optical instrument

ABSTRACT

Internationally there is a need for research that focuses on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education to equip students with the skills needed for a rapidly changing future. One way to do this is through designing engineering activities that reflect real-world problems and contextualise students’ learning of STEM concepts. As such, this study examined the learning that occurred when fifth-grade students completed an optical engineering activity using an iterative engineering design model. Through a qualitative methodology using a case study design, we analysed multiple data sources including students’ design sketches from eight focus groups. Three key findings emerged: first, the collaborative process of the first design sketch enabled students to apply core STEM concepts to model construction; second, during the construction stage students used experimentation for the positioning of lenses, mirrors and tubes resulting in a simpler ‘working’ model; and third, the redesign process enabled students to apply structural changes to their design. The engineering design model was useful for structuring stages of design, construction and redesign; however, we suggest a more flexible approach for advanced applications of STEM concepts in the future.

KEYWORDS:

• STEM
• science
• mathematics
• technology
• engineering
• primary
• sociocultural

Acknowledgements

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the [Australian Research Council]. The authors gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the teachers and students of the participating schools, as well as the research assistants who contributed to the data collection and transcriptions. In particular, thank you to Jo Smeed who helped with sections of the data analysis and formatting. Also, we acknowledge contributions from Peter Hudson and Les Dawes, as well as engineers from the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the [Australian Research Council] under Grant [number LP120200023].