Philosophy of Engineering for K–12 Engineering Education

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 8
  In Roundtable Session: Developing STEM Thinking Equitably

Abstract

The necessity to improve K-12 students’ engineering literacy has been recently recognized by several policy-based reports. However, recent studies illustrated the paucity of knowledge that most teachers and students currently hold about engineering. It is, therefore, necessary to unearth the core features of the engineering discipline to promote students’ engineering literacy. In that regard, this study took an epistemological approach to reveal the key aspects of engineering that could shed light on what engineering knowledge and its processes are for K-12 engineering education. This study exploited the philosophical and historical studies on engineering through document analysis. The current study revealed several important themes that are worthy of special emphasis in the K-12 engineering instructions, curriculum, standards, and teacher education.

Authors

• Ezgi Yesilyurt, Weber State University

• Hasan Deniz, University of Nevada - Las Vegas

• Erdogan Kaya, George Mason University