Collaborative Research: Engineering Children's Learning with Physical and Social Tools

合作研究：利用身体和社交工具改造儿童的学习

• 批准号: 1123411
• 负责人: Catherine Haden
• 金额: $ 22.48万
• 依托单位: Loyola University of Chicago
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-09-15 至 2015-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1123411&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Engineering; Children; Learning

The decrease in the number of US students interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has received considerable attention in recent years. The National Science Foundation refers to this as the STEM education problem. This research explores one way to address the STEM problem, by studying how children develop interest and skill in STEM, even at a young age. The work will focus on the fact that many early STEM experiences for children are designed to encourage learning through hands-on activities, such as making models of buildings or other structures. Although children can learn a great deal by working on their own through these hands-on activities, their learning can be improved when they are engaged in conversations with their parents during these activities. With support from the National Science Foundation, Catherine Haden, Ph.D., of Loyola University Chicago and David Uttal, Ph.D., of Northwestern University will examine how parent-child conversational interactions during hands-on activities impact children's STEM learning. The researchers will also determine whether parent-child conversations and hands-on activities help children remember what they have learned and apply it to new situations. The research will take place in a special exhibit within the Chicago Children's Museum that was designed specifically to advance STEM learning. The exhibit focuses on building construction and includes hands-on activities that may promote early understanding of simple engineering principles, such as bracing, as well as more general principles associated with the scientific method. Across two studies, a total of 640 children, ages 4, 6, and 8 will observed building skyscrapers with their parents. It is hypothesized that specific kinds of conversations (such as those that involve What, How, and Why questions) will be linked to more hands-on activity, as well as more learning of engineering principles and a better understanding of the scientific method. An important test of this hypothesis is seeing how and when parents' conversations and children's hands-on learning during the first construction project results in better construction of a second structure (tower or bridge). It is also predicted that parents' talk and children's understanding will differ by age of the child. In Study 2, the researchers will attempt to teach parents the best ways to help their children's STEM learning, based on the findings of Study 1. The research will contribute to understanding and improving young children's STEM education and learning. For young children, the learning of mathematics, science, and elementary principles of engineering is intertwined. Early exposure to fun, creative and meaningful engineering experiences may boost interest and the eventual pursuit of engineering and technology education paths by students. Exhibits stimulating building construction, for example, have the potential to connect children with the joys and challenges of the scientific process (building a building that will stand on its own), as well as the relevance of engineering to their everyday lives. The research will recommend methods that parents and other educators can use with young children in STEM learning situations to foster early understanding of the scientific method, develop knowledge of STEM-related concepts, and potentially increase interest in future science education and career options.

近年来，对科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）感兴趣的美国学生人数的减少引起了相当大的关注。 美国国家科学基金会称之为STEM教育问题。 这项研究探索了一种解决STEM问题的方法，通过研究儿童如何培养对STEM的兴趣和技能，即使在很小的时候。 这项工作将重点关注这样一个事实，即许多儿童早期的STEM体验旨在鼓励通过动手活动进行学习，例如制作建筑物或其他结构的模型。 虽然孩子们可以通过这些实践活动自己学习很多东西，但当他们在这些活动中与父母交谈时，他们的学习可以得到改善。 在国家科学基金会的支持下，凯瑟琳·海登博士，洛约拉大学芝加哥分校和大卫乌托博士，将研究在动手活动中亲子对话互动如何影响儿童的STEM学习。 研究人员还将确定亲子对话和动手活动是否有助于孩子记住他们所学的知识并将其应用于新的情况。 这项研究将在芝加哥儿童博物馆的一个特别展览中进行，该展览是专门为促进STEM学习而设计的。 展览的重点是建筑施工，包括动手活动，可以促进早期理解简单的工程原理，如支撑，以及与科学方法相关的更一般的原则。 在两项研究中，共有640名年龄分别为4岁、6岁和8岁的儿童将与父母一起建造摩天大楼。 据推测，特定类型的对话（如涉及什么，如何和为什么问题的对话）将与更多的实践活动联系在一起，以及更多的工程原理学习和更好地理解科学方法。 对这一假设的一个重要检验是，看看在第一个建筑项目中，父母的谈话和孩子的动手学习如何以及何时导致第二个结构（塔或桥）的更好建造。 据预测，父母的谈话和孩子的理解将因孩子的年龄而异。 在研究2中，研究人员将根据研究1的结果，尝试教父母帮助孩子学习STEM的最佳方法。 该研究将有助于理解和改善幼儿的STEM教育和学习。 对于幼儿来说，数学、科学和工程学基本原理的学习是交织在一起的。 早期接触有趣，创造性和有意义的工程经验可能会提高学生对工程和技术教育道路的兴趣和最终追求。 例如，刺激建筑施工的展览有可能将儿童与科学过程的乐趣和挑战（建造一座独立的建筑物）以及工程与他们日常生活的相关性联系起来。 该研究将建议家长和其他教育工作者可以在STEM学习环境中与幼儿一起使用的方法，以促进对科学方法的早期理解，发展STEM相关概念的知识，并可能增加对未来科学教育和职业选择的兴趣。