An Exploratory Study to Examine Students’ Understanding of Engineering Design Process Using Item Response Theory

• In Event: Virtual Poster Session
  In Virtual iPresentation Only: Division H - Section 3: Assessment in Schools Virtual Poster Session

Abstract

A key priority for K-12 engineering is to increase student understanding of the engineering design process (EDP). To understand students’ mastery of the EDP, grade-level specific EDP assessments were designed and tested (Authors, 2019). Utilizing the item response theory (IRT) framework, this study uses one semester of EDP assessment data gathered in 6th-grade classrooms implementing an 18-week engineering curriculum to explore changes in students’ understanding of the EDP and the factors associated with such a potential change. Preliminary results show that by participating in a single semester of the curriculum, students significantly improve their understanding of the EDP. A broad estimate of teachers’ level of curriculum implementation was not a significant predictor of students’ post-EDP performance.

Authors

• Zijun Xu Alexander, Georgia Institute of Technology

• Sunni Newton, Georgia Institute of Technology

• Meltem Alemdar, Georgia Institute of Technology

• Jessica Gale, Georgia Institute of Technology