2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Board 167: Exploring Elementary Pre-service Teachers’ Personal Engineering Efficacy and Engineering Teaching Efficacy in a Science Methods Course Incorporating Engineering Design Activities (Work in Progress)

Presented at Pre-College Engineering Education Division (PCEE) Poster Session

The recent incorporation of engineering in state and national standards requires elementary teachers to teach engineering within their science curricula. However, few elementary pre-service teachers (PSTs) feel confident about incorporating engineering into their science curricula. Research on how to support effective engineering design instruction in PSTs’ elementary education programs is sparse. The present study investigated the impact of engaging 170 elementary PSTs in a K-8 science methods course that incorporated several engineering design activities on their engineering design efficacy (EDE) and engineering design teaching efficacy (EDTE). Students completed pre and post surveys of the of the Engineering Design Self-Efficacy Instrument (EDSI) to measure their EDE. They also completed the M-EDSI (a modified version of the EDSI) to measure their EDTE. Results from the pre-test (M = 49.6, SD = 22.9) and post-test (M = 82.0, SD = 13.1) indicate that PSTs’ participation in an engineering-focused K-8 science methods course significantly improved their EDE, t(169) = 19.7, p < .05. Similarly, there was a statistically significant increase in PSTs’ EDTE after participating in the course (M = 83.0, SD = 13.3) compared to before (M = 42.5, SD = 25.2), t(169) = 21.0, p < .05. The findings suggest that exposing elementary PSTs to multiple engineering design activities within science methods courses improves their EDE and EDTE. Implications of the results and future research plans are discussed in the paper.

Authors

Mr. Miracle Moonga Montana State University - Bozeman [biography]

Miracle Moonga is a graduate student in the Curriculum and Instruction program at Montana State University (MSU). He also works as a teaching assistant in the department of education at MSU where he teaches a science methods course and a laboratory safety course. His research interests are in K-12 science and engineering education.
Dr. Rebekah J. Hammack http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8621-1006 Montana State University - Bozeman [biography]

Rebekah Hammack is an Assistant Professor of K-8 Science Education at Purdue University. She served as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow in the Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Learning. Dr. Hammack’s research focuses on the connection of local knowledge and context to STEM interest and identity development in youth, particularly rural and Indigenous youth in elementary and middle grades, as well as how elementary teachers develop teaching efficacy and identity as STEM educators. Through her research, Dr. Hammack aims to advance understanding of how to enhance STEM education in rural schools and communities, providing opportunities to meet the unique needs of underserved rural students.
Dr. Ibrahim H. Yeter http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0175-2306 Nanyang Technological University [biography]

Ibrahim H. Yeter, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the National Institute of Education (NIE) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. He is an affiliated faculty member of the NTU Centre for Research and Development in Learning (CRADLE) and the NTU Institute for Science and Technology for Humanity (NISTH). Dr. Yeter serves as the Director of the World MOON Project and holds editorial roles as Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Education and Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning. He is also the upcoming Program Chair-Elect of the PCEE Division at ASEE. His current research interests include STEM+C education, specifically artificial intelligence literacy, computational thinking, and engineering.

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