2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Research clearly points to identity as a critical factor in students’ persistence in the pursuit of engineering careers. Student identities (specifically STEM or engineering identities) are constantly changing and developing throughout adolescence, influenced by a variety of factors, including classroom settings, educator perceptions, and peer interactions (Kim et al., 2018) Despite the growing amount of literature and empirical studies on student STEM identities, there is still a gap in the understanding of the development of STEM identity for elementary school-age students. Yet, these students are at a critical time in their development for identity formation, (Kim et al., 2018).

The framework for understanding engineering identity in this research is based on Carlone and Johnson’s (2007) Model of Science Identity, which Paul et al. (2020) adapted to include engineering identity. Paul et al. (2020) emphasized the performance component of identity, which refers to students’ ability to exhibit engineering practices and skills. Specifically, this study focused on performance as the application of critical thinking skills (CTS) during the engineering design process (EDP). To assess CTS, the study applied Putra et al.'s (2021) framework for evaluating CTS, including analysis, interpretation, inference-making, self-regulation, explanation, and evaluation. Thus, the central question of this study is: “How does engaging in the engineering design process enable elementary students to meaningfully develop critical thinking skills as part of a genuine engineering performance?”

To address this research question we observed and analyzed students; engagement in CTS as they collaborated in small groups on an engineering design task. The study employed a multiple case study methodology (Hancock et al., 2021), allowing for an in-depth investigation of how four groups of fourth grade students' engineering identities developed through engagement in the engineering design process (EDP).
The study revealed that students exhibit specific critical thinking skills (CTS) at distinct stages of the EDP, particularly analyzing and self-regulating during the planning and design phases. By pinpointing these moments of performance, the research highlights the CTS in which students show the most competence, ultimately enhancing their engineering identity. This insight can inform and enhance educators' practices as they guide students through the engineering design process.