Abstract:

The goal of this mixed-method design study was to compare and contrast the contribution of STEM education on 6th-grade students’ (n=62) knowledge and perceptions of engineering and engineers. The data were collected by the use of the Engineering Knowledge Measurement Scale (EKMS) and the Draw an Engineer (DAE) instrument. In the study, two groups, namely, STEM-explicit emphasis on engineering (STEM-EE) and STEM-only (STEM-O), were formed. The data were collected before and after the 16 class hours of training (i.e., for a month) and were then analyzed. In both groups, two STEM activities (thermos and insulated home design) were carried out. However, the explicit emphasis on engineering was made in STEM-EE group. On the contrary, STEM-O group conducted the same STEM activities with no engineering emphasis. The results revealed that the students in both groups had incomplete and inaccurate knowledge and views of engineering (e.g. considering engineers to be workers) before the study. After the training, the students in the STEM-EE group had more accurate and richer views of engineering. Moreover, the students in the STEM-EE group mentioned more different fields of engineering after the study when compared with their peers in the STEM-O group. The explicit emphasis on engineering in STEM implementation using different models should be integrated into STEM activities.

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