The Effects of an Engineering Design Module on Student Learning in a Middle School Science Classroom
Year: 2016
Type: article
Abstract: Eighth grade students often experience difficulty concretely representing learning objectives in a physical science course. In order to determine the effect of engineering design modules, advanced manufacturing machines were employed including 2D and 3D fabricators to create tangible objects from computer-aided designs. Students completed the Waves and Sound Assessment prior to participating in the digital fabrication activities, and again after the hands-on activities. We also aimed to examine differences in learning based on sex. Major findings for the 13 males and 8 females were that both males ( p < .01) and females ( p < .01) gained a large amount of knowledge over the course of the two week-long unit on waves and sound. Large effect sizes for the open-ended questions and multiple-choice questions were found in both males ( d = .83) and females ( d = 1.48). There were no significant differences in scores between sexes at either the pretest or the posttest time period for the open-ended or multiple-choice questions. Findings indicate advanced manufacturing activities were effective for both boys and girls in fostering gains in science content knowledge related to waves and sound concepts.
Institutions: University of Virginia, University of North Texas
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W2463217641