d.loft STEM

• In Event: 49.031 - Fostering and Maintaining Students' STEM Interest Throughout the Educational Pipeline

Abstract

Objectives

D.loft STEM curriculum brings design thinking (DT) to middle school supplemental environments, engaging students in designing solutions to basic needs for water, energy and shelter (Smith 2009). The goal is broadening access to STEM careers while integrating engineering content and DT. Do students learn content relating to water, energy, or shelters? Do they learn DT? Could students imagine applications of DT beyond summer school?

Perspectives

Integrating DT approaches and STEM learning has potential to break new ground with its emphasis on critical thinking, problem solving, and orientation to innovation (d.school 2014). Why DT for introducing students to engineering: its empathy approach is key for engaging diverse students in engineering’s human aspects; it involves them with engineering tools, concepts, and career options; it complements project learning popular in STEM education; and, it builds competencies such as teamwork, collaboration, communication, and technology use.

Methods
All middle school students in a California school district attending summer school science participated. The district is diverse, with approximately 43.4% Hispanic or Latino, 23.8% Asian, 19.2% White Not Hispanic, 7.9% Filipino, 2.5% African American not Hispanic, and 3.2% others. Summer teachers administered all tests. Test items were not the same year-to-year, so analyses are in-cohort. Year 1 cohort took the Design an Engineer Task (DAE) (Capobianco et al, 2011) to understand their conceptions of engineers. Results replicated those of other researchers and did not reveal how students understood the DT process or engineering content. In Years 2 and 3 we administered pre-and post-tests, including items about DT and either energy or shelter.

Data sources
Data from 250+ students was de-identified and test-takers were assigned numbers. Tests included closed response and open-ended questions such as, “Name three of the ways that energy is gathered or produced” and “Above is the DT process. Pick two steps…Tell us a story about what you did and why for each.” Responses were coded using an open-coding process (Strauss and Corbin 1990, Emerson et al. 2011). Initial codes were vetted, consolidated, and defined. Inter-rater reliability was established. Coded data was analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively.
Results
Results reveal that much was learned about design thinking and engineering-content topics.

Students showed content gains from pre- to post-tests, suggesting the curriculum introduced students to concepts and processes that contributed positively to their engineering content knowledge.

Students showed growth in pre-to post-knowledge of DT every year. In Years 2 and 3, there was growth in students’ recall of DT steps and their purposes with prototyping, testing, ideating, and empathizing most popular.

Analyses concerning DT applications indicated “can-do” attitudes developing. Students volunteered uses for DT––solving problems in their families, planning parties, saving energy at home, planning careers as designers or engineers. Mindsets developed––“I learned that you shouldn’t give up on things you can’t do. You just keep trying.”

5. Significance

Introducing students to engineering and engaging them to DT in middle school is important and can result in productive learning. Results suggest further exploration of a DT-integrated model in supplemental settings and schools.

Authors

• Shelley V. Goldman, Stanford University

• Tanner Vea, Stanford University

• Molly Bullock, Stanford University

• Stephanie Bachas-Daunert, Stanford University

• Zandile Kabayadondo, Stanford University