Collaborative Research: Understanding High School Pre-Engineering Student Design Cognition, Comparisons with Engineering Students

本工程教育研究计划将通过调查高中生对工程设计的误解来探讨他们如何学习工程设计。 调查人员将对三个州从事工程设计经验的高中生进行纵向研究。 所采用的分析技术在当前的理论中有很好的基础。 与大学生的比较将为学生如何发展设计能力提供见解。 该项目更广泛的意义和重要性将是指导现有的项目和努力，将工程和设计元素引入K-12课程，特别是在高中阶段。 随着设计在大学工程课程中变得越来越重要，需要更多地了解高中生的设计经验，以帮助他们从中学过渡到大学。 该项目将在工程教育和认知科学界广泛传播研究成果，以便研究能够影响实践。 该项目与NSF的战略目标重叠，即通过准备一支具有新能力和专业知识的工程队伍来改变前沿。 此外，NSF为社会创新的目标是通过为教育政策和实践提供信息来创造对社会有用的结果和研究。

This engineering education research project will explore how high school students learn engineering design by investigating these students' misconceptions about engineering design. The investigators will use a longitudinal study of high school students in three states who engage in engineering design experiences. The analysis techniques to be employed are well-grounded in current theories. Comparisons with college students will provide insights on how students develop design competencies. The broader significance and importance of this project will be to guide existing projects and efforts that introduce elements of engineering and design into the K-12 curriculum, particularly at the high school level. As design becomes increasingly important in university engineering programs, an increased understanding of high school student's design experiences is need to help them transition from secondary school to college. The project will broadly disseminate findings among the engineering education and cognitive science communities so that the research can impact practice. This project overlaps with NSF's strategic goals of transforming the frontiers through preparation of an engineering workforce with new capabilities and expertise. Additionally NSF's goal of innovating for society is enabled by creating results and research that are useful for society by informing educational policy and practices.