Top

International Journal of Technology and Design Education

Published in:

07-06-2017

STEM education in the twenty-first century: learning at work—an exploration of design and technology teacher perceptions and practices

Authors: Dawne Bell, David Morrison-Love, David Wooff, Matt McLain

Published in: International Journal of Technology and Design Education | Issue 3/2018

Activate our intelligent search to find suitable subject content or patents.

search-config

AI-assisted search

Off

Abstract

Teachers’ knowledge of STEM education, their understanding, and pedagogical application of that knowledge is intrinsically linked to the subsequent effectiveness of STEM delivery within their own practice; where a teacher’s knowledge and understanding is deficient, the potential for pupil learning is ineffective and limited. Set within the context of secondary age phase education in England and Wales (11–16 years old), this paper explores how teachers working within the field of design and technology education acquire new knowledge in STEM; how understanding is developed and subsequently embedded within their practice to support the creation of a diverse STEM-literate society. The purpose being to determine mechanisms by which knowledge acquisition occurs, to reconnoitre potential implications for education and learning at work, including consideration of the role which new technologies play in the development of STEM knowledge within and across contributory STEM subject disciplines. Underpinned by an interpretivist ontology, work presented here builds upon the premise that design and technology is an interdisciplinary educational construct and not viewed as being of equal status to other STEM disciplines including maths and science. Drawing upon the philosophical field of symbolic interactionism and constructivist grounded theory, work embraces an abductive methodology where participants are encouraged to relate design and technology within the context of STEM education. Emergent findings are discussed in relation to their potential to support teachers’ educational development for the advancement of STEM literacy, and help secure design and technology’s place as a subject of value within a twenty-first Century curriculum.

previous article The things that belong: a grounded theory study of student categorizations of complex technical artifacts

next article New Zealand secondary technology teachers’ perceptions: “technological” or “technical” thinking?

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 102.000 Bücher
über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Springer Professional "Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 67.000 Bücher
über 390 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Akhtar, S., Warburton, S., & Xu, W. (2015). The use of an online learning and teaching system for monitoring computer aided design student participation and predicting student success. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, Springer. doi:10.1007/s10798-015-9346-8.

Armellini, A., & Padilla Rodriguez, B. C. (2016). Are Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) pedagogically innovative? Journal of Interactive Online Learning 14(1), 17–28.

Avalos, B. (2011). Teacher professional development in Teaching and Teacher Education over ten years. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27, 10–20.CrossRef

Barber, M., & Mourshed, M. (2007). How the world’s best-performing schools come out on top, McKinsey and Company, http://mckinseyonsociety.com/downloads/reports/Education/Worlds_School_Systems_Final.pdf. Accessed 30 May 2017.

Bassett, D., Haldenby, A., Tanner, W. & Trewhitt, K. (2010). Every teacher matters, reform. http://www.reform.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Every-teacher-matters-FINAL1.pdf. Accessed 30 May 2017.

Beetham, H., & Sharpe, R. (2013). Rethinking Pedagogy for a Digital Age: Designing for twenty first Century Learning. Routledge.

Bell, D. (2016). The reality of STEM education, design and technology teachers’ perceptions: A phenomenographic study. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 26(1), 61–79. doi:10.1007/s10798-015-9300-9.CrossRef

Bell, D., Wooff, D., McLain, M., & Morrison-Love, D. (2017). Analysing design and technology as an educational construct: an investigation into its curriculum position and pedagogical identity. The Curriculum Journal. doi:10.1080/09585176.2017.1286995.

Benken, B. M., & Stevenson, H. J. (2014). STEM education: Educating teachers for a new world. Issues in Teacher Education, 23(1), 3–9.

BERA. (2011). Ethical guidelines for educational research. https://www.bera.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/BERA-Ethical-Guidelines-2011.pdf. Accessed 6 June 2017.

Best, M., & MacGregor, D. (2015). Transitioning Design and technology Education from Physical classrooms to virtual spaces: implications for pre-service teacher education. The International Journal of Technology and Design Education. doi:10.1007/s10798-015-9350-z.

Bowden, J. A., & Green, P. (Eds.). (2005). Doing developmental phenomenography. Melbourne: RMIT University Press.

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2013). Successful Qualitative Research: A Practical Guide for Beginners. London: Sage.

Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated Cognition and the Culture of Learning. Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association, 18(4), 10–62.

Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing Grounded Theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis. London: Sage.

Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing grounded theory. Sage.

Cormier, D. (2016). Making the community the curriculum; Rhizomatic Learning in Action. https://davecormier.pressbooks.com/. Accessed 30 May 2017.

Cresswell, J. W. (1998). Qualitative inquiry and research design: choosing amongst five traditions. Thousand Oaks CA: Sage.

Dalkir, K. (2013). Knowledge management in theory and practice. Abingdon: Routledge.

de Waard, I. (2015). MOOC factors influencing teachers in formal education. Revista Mexicana de Bachillerato a Distancia’, 7(13), 1–8.

Department for Education. (2016). Policy paper English Baccalaureate (Ebacc) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-baccalaureate-ebacc/english-baccalaureate-ebacc. Accessed 30 May 2017.

Department for Education. (2017). Progress 8 and Attainment 8, Guide for maintained secondary schools, academies and free schools. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/497937/Progress-8-school-performance-measure.pdf. Accessed 30 May 2017.

Duguid, P. (2005). “The art of knowing”: Social and tacit dimensions of knowledge and the limits of the community of practice. The Information Society, Taylor and Francis, 21(2), 109–118.CrossRef

Engelbrecht, W., & Ankiewicz, P. (2015). Criteria for continuing professional development of technology teachers’ professional knowledge: A theoretical perspective. International Journal of Technology and Design Education. doi:10.1007/s10798-015-9309-0.

Eraut, M. (2000). Non formal learning and tacit knowledge in professional work. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 70(1), 113–136.CrossRef

Finch, J. (1987). The vignette technique in survey research. Sociology, 21(1), 105–114.CrossRef

Gee, J. P., & Hayes, E. (2012). Nurturing affinity spaces and game-based learning. In C. Steinkuehler, K. Squire, & S. Barab (Eds.), Games, Learning, and Society: Learning and Meaning in the Digital Age (pp. 129–155). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRef

Geertz, C. (1973). Thick Description: Toward an Interpretation Theory of Culture in; The Interpretation of Cultures: Selected Essays. New York: Basics Books Inc.

Gibbons, M., Limoges, C., Nowotny, H., Schwartzman, S., Scott, P., & Trow, M. (1994). The new production of knowledge: the dynamics of science and research in contemporary societies. London: Sage.

Glaser, B. (1978). Theoretical Sensitivity; Advances in the methodology of grounded theory. Mill Valley, CA: The Sociology Press.

GOV.UK (2017). Types of school. https://www.gov.uk/types-of-school/overview. Accessed 30 May 2016.

Hardy, M. A., & Bryman, A. (Eds.) (2009). Handbook of data analysis. Newcastle upon Tyne: Sage.

Hargreaves, D. H. (1999). The Knowledge-creating School. British Journal of Educational Studies, 47(2), 122–144.CrossRef

Hildreth, P., & Kimble, C. (2004). Knowledge Networks: Innovation through Communities of Practice, London/Hershey: Idea Group Inc. http://www.chris-kimble.com/KNICOP/Chapters/Introduction.html. Accessed 30 May 2017.

Hökkä, P., & Eteläpelto, A. (2014). Seeking new perspectives on the development of teacher education: a study of the Finnish context. Journal of Teacher Education, 65(1), 39–52.CrossRef

Jahreie, C. F., Arnseth, H. C., Krange, I., Smrdal, O., & Kluge, A. (2011). Designing for play-based learning of scientific concepts: Digital tools for bridging school and science museum contexts. Children Youth and Environments, 21(2), 236–255.

Jobe, W., Östlund, C., & Svensson, L. (2014). MOOCs for professional teacher development. In M. Searson & M. Ochoa (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference 2014 (pp. 1580–1586). Chesapeake, VA: AACE.

Kvale, S. (1996). Interviews: An introduction to qualitative research interviewing. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Laurillard, D. (2014). ‘Hits and Myths: MOOCs may be a wonderful idea, but they’re not viable’, Times Higher Education, 16 Jan, (pp. 28–29). http://www.mirandanet.org.uk/researchexchange/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/Laurillard_THE_JAN1614.pdf. Accessed 6 June 2017.

Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRef

Li, Y. (2014). International journal of STEM education—A platform to promote STEM education and research worldwide. International Journal of STEM Education, 2014 1:1. http://stemeducationjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/2196-7822-1-1. Accessed 30 May 2017.

Liestøl, G., Smørdal, O., & Erstad, O. (2015). STEM–Learning by means of mobile augmented reality. Exploring the Potential of augmenting classroom learning with situated simulations and practical activities on location. In Edulearn15 proceedings. The international academy of technology, education and development.

Littlejohn, A. (2016). Nine things autonomous learners do differently. In SOLSTICE eLearning and centre for learning and teaching conference: A celebration of Learning and Teaching. 9th and 10th June, Edge Hill University.

Littlejohn, A., Hood, N., Milligan, C., & Mustain, P. (2016). Learning in MOOCs: Motivations and self-regulated learning. The Internet and Higher Education, 29, 40–48.CrossRef

Liyanagunawardena, T., Adams, A., & Williams, S. (2013). MOOCs: A systematic study of the published literature 2008–2012. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 14(3), 203–227.

Lund, A., & Smørdal, O. (2006). Is There a Space for the Teacher in a Wiki? Proceedings of the 2006 International Symposium on Wikis (WikiSym ‘06) (pp. 37–46). Odense, Denmark: ACM Press.CrossRef

Mc Garr, O., & Lynch, R. (2015). Monopolising the STEM agenda in second-level schools: exploring power relations and subject subcultures. The International Journal of Technology and Design Education. doi:10.1007/s10798-015-9333-0.

Milligan, C., Littlejohn, A., & Margaryan, A. (2014). Workplace learning in informal networks. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 2014(1). doi:10.5334/2014-06.

Mitchell, L. (2015). STEM job vacancies twice as likely to be left unfilled. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIDP). http://www.cipd.co.uk/pm/peoplemanagement/b/weblog/archive/2015/07/10/stem-job-vacancies-twice-as-likely-to-be-left-unfilled-report-reveals.aspx?utm_medium=email&utm_source=cipd&utm_campaign=pm_daily&utm_term=476182&utm_content=pm_daily_100715-2977-2763–20150710170218. Accessed 30 May 2017.

Morgan, N. (2014). Secretary of State for Education speaks about science and maths at the launch of Your Life campaign. https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/nicky-morgan-speaks-at-launch-of-your-life-campaign. Accessed 30 May 2017.

Morse, J. (2007). Sampling in Grounded Theory. In A. Bryant & K. Charmaz (Eds.), The sage handbook of grounded theory (pp. 229–244). Newcastle upon Tyne: Sage.CrossRef

Mruck, K., & Mey, G. (2007). Grounded Theory and Reflexivity. In A. Bryant & K. Charmaz (Eds.), The sage handbook of grounded theory (pp. 515–538). Newcastle upon Tyne: Sage.

OECD (2013), Teachers for the twenty first Century: Using Evaluation to Improve Teaching, OECD Publishing. http://www.oecd.org/site/eduistp13/TS2013%20Background%20Report.pdf. Accessed 30 May 2017.

Penuel, W. R., Fishman, B. J., Yamaguchi, R., & Gallagher, L. P. (2007). What makes professional development effective? Strategies that foster curriculum implementation. American Educational Research Journal, 44(4), 921–958.CrossRef

Reeve, E. M. (2015). Stem thinking! Technology and Engineering Teacher, 74(4), 8–16.

Richards, L., & Morse, J. M. (2007). Readme First for an Introduction to Qualitative Methods (2nd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Ritz, J. M., & Fan, S. (2014). STEM and technology education: International state-of-the-art. International Journal of Technology and Design Education. doi:10.1007/s10798-014-9290-z.

Rockland, R., Bloom, D. S., Carpinelli, J., Burr-Alexander, L., Hirsch, L. S., & Kimmel, H. (2010). Advancing the “E” in K-12 STEM education. Journal of Technology Studies, 36(1), 53.

Saunders, M. (2006). From ‘organisms’ to ‘boundaries’: The uneven development of theory narratives in education, learning and work connections. Journal of Education and Work, 19(1), 1–27.CrossRef

Seale, C. (2003). Quality in qualitative research. In Y. S. Lincoln & N. K. Denzin (Eds.), Turning points in qualitative research. Walnut Creek: Altamira Press.

Sutton Trust (2015). Developing teachers; improving professional development for teachers. http://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Developing-Teachers.pdf. Accessed 30 May 2017.

van Tuijl, C., & Walma van der Molen, J. H. (2015). Study choice and career development in STEM fields: An overview and integration of the research. International Journal of Technology and Design Education. doi:10.1007/s10798-015-9308-1.

Vieluf, S., Kaplan, D., Klieeme, E., & Bayer, S. (2012). Teaching practices and pedagogical innovation: Evidence from TALIS. OECD Publishing. doi:10.1787/9789264123540-en.

Wenger, E., McDermott, R. A., & Snyder, W. (2002). Cultivating communities of practice: A guide to managing knowledge (p. 304). Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

White, D. & Le Cornu, A. (2011). Visitors and residents: a new typology for online engagement. First Monday, 16(9). Archived by WebCite^® at http://www.webcitation.org/6QBEj2J3w. Accessed 30 May 2017.

Title: STEM education in the twenty-first century: learning at work—an exploration of design and technology teacher perceptions and practices
Authors: Dawne Bell
David Morrison-Love
David Wooff
Matt McLain
Publication date: 07-06-2017
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Published in: International Journal of Technology and Design Education / Issue 3/2018
Print ISSN: 0957-7572
Electronic ISSN: 1573-1804
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-017-9414-3

Springer Professional

Abstract

Please log in to get access to your license.

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Springer Professional "Technik"

Other articles of this Issue 3/2018

Using matrices of specifications, factors and concepts to assist design-engineering students

Factors influencing student success on open-ended design problems

Development of a Technology Education Cascading Theory through community engagement site-based support

Are their designs iterative or fixated? Investigating design patterns from student digital footprints in computer-aided design software

The role of space in interdisciplinary collaboration in design education

A conceptual model for knowledge dimensions and processes in design and technology projects

Premium Partner