Abstract
Many studies have investigated students’ attitudes toward engineering (ATE), but few have examined the changes in attitudes after attending an engineering design curriculum. This study analyzes these attitudinal changes in students attending an engineering-focused science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (EF-STEM) curriculum and investigates the influence and correlation between attitudes and learning performance. The participants included 364 tenth-grade students (ages 16–18 years). An 18-week experimental intervention design (2 h per week) was adopted. The Attitudes Towards Engineering Scale—Taiwan was applied before and after attending the EF-STEM course; remaining assessments were conducted post-course. The results showed that the ATE statistically decreased after attending the course, shifting from a positive attitude to a neutral-leaning attitude. Although most students appreciated the importance of engineering design, they exhibited a high degree of anxiety toward it. Moreover, their pre-ATE was significantly correlated with their perception of engineering design and learning performance. These results indicate that engineering design curricula do not necessarily have a positive effect on student ATE.
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Abbreviations
- ATE:
-
Attitudes toward engineering
- ATES-T:
-
Attitudes Towards Engineering Scale—Taiwan
- EF-STEM:
-
Engineering-focused STEM
- HAG:
-
High-attitude group
- ITEEA:
-
International Technology and Engineering Educators Association
- LAG:
-
Low-attitude group
- NGSS:
-
Next Generation Science Standards
- PED:
-
Perceptions of engineering design
- PEDQ:
-
Perception of Engineering Design Questionnaire
- STEM:
-
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
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Acknowledgements
We are incredibly grateful to the teacher Wang (pseudonym), who conducted the EF-STEM curriculum in this study. We also appreciated that all reviewers and editors who provided precise comments make this study better.
Funding
This study was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology in Taiwan under MOST 110-2511-H-003 -017 -MY2.
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Appendix ATES-T Mean, Std. Deviation, and Cronbach’s alpha
Appendix ATES-T Mean, Std. Deviation, and Cronbach’s alpha
Items | Mean | Std. Deviation | Corrected Item-Total Correlation | Cronbach’s Alpha if Item Deleted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Engineering interest (α = 0.889) | ||||
1. I like technology products with innovative designs. | 4.37 | 0.78 | 0.62 | 0.89 |
2. I like to collect engineering-related information. | 3.48 | 1.16 | 0.77 | 0.86 |
3. I would be interested in participating in on-campus or off-campus clubs related to engineering (e.g., robotics club, Maker club). | 3.28 | 1.21 | 0.75 | 0.87 |
4. I enjoy attending exhibitions related to engineering technology or products. | 3.52 | 1.11 | 0.81 | 0.85 |
5. Using technologically innovative products with creative designs gives me a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. | 4.00 | 0.94 | 0.63 | 0.88 |
6. The media should report more information related to engineering. | 3.74 | 0.94 | 0.71 | 0.87 |
Engineering contribution (α = 0.903) | ||||
7. The advancement of engineering is highly beneficial to the competitiveness of a country. | 4.34 | 0.71 | 0.69 | 0.89 |
8. Engineering knowledge and technology can be applied to solve many problems encountered by people. | 4.39 | 0.74 | 0.62 | 0.91 |
9. The development of engineering has enhanced our quality of life. | 4.40 | 0.66 | 0.74 | 0.89 |
10. Continuous innovation in engineering and technology is essential for the ongoing progress of society. | 4.37 | 0.71 | 0.78 | 0.88 |
11. Engineering holds a significant position in modern society. | 4.36 | 0.70 | 0.80 | 0.88 |
12. Engineering contributes to the improvement of human life. | 4.40 | 0.64 | 0.81 | 0.88 |
Engineering curriculum (α = . 860) | ||||
13. Studying engineering helps in understanding how to apply knowledge of science and mathematics. | 4.09 | 0.83 | 0.57 | 0.85 |
14. Every student should receive fundamental engineering education. | 3.50 | 0.98 | 0.76 | 0.82 |
15. Engineering-related courses should be mandatory subjects in senior high school. | 3.27 | 1.01 | 0.73 | 0.83 |
16. Schools should offer more choices of engineering courses for students. | 3.89 | 0.90 | 0.69 | 0.83 |
17. Having a basic understanding of engineering knowledge is essential for modern citizens. | 3.46 | 0.89 | 0.70 | 0.83 |
18. Engineering-related courses can help me become acquainted with professions related to engineering. | 3.92 | 0.87 | 0.68 | 0.84 |
19. I believe individuals with better grades in mathematics and science are more suitable for studying engineering. | 3.48 | 0.99 | 0.35 | 0.87 |
20. I believe individuals with better hands-on practical skills are more suitable for studying engineering. | 4.00 | 0.87 | 0.40 | 0.86 |
Engineering perplexity (α = 0.910) | ||||
21. I feel bored when I hear or see news related to engineering. | 2.58 | 0.99 | 0.69 | 0.90 |
22. I do not enjoy learning engineering knowledge. | 2.62 | 1.06 | 0.80 | 0.89 |
23. I find engineering knowledge complex and difficult to understand. | 3.06 | 1.07 | 0.77 | 0.89 |
24. I would not spend extra time understanding how engineers solve engineering problems. | 2.96 | 1.10 | 0.83 | 0.88 |
25. I am not very clear about the job content in the field of engineering. | 3.26 | 1.06 | 0.75 | 0.89 |
26. I’m confused about what engineering is. | 2.92 | 1.03 | 0.66 | 0.91 |
Engineering career (α = 0.754) | ||||
27. I believe that working in the field of engineering would be very interesting. | 3.43 | 1.03 | 0.663 | 0.660 |
28. In the future, I aspire to enroll in a discipline related to the field of engineering. | 3.11 | 1.20 | 0.701 | 0.635 |
29. I want to pursue a career related to engineering in the future. | 3.13 | 1.18 | 0.680 | 0.645 |
30. I believe working in engineering-related industries would be quite boring. (R) | 3.26 | 1.02 | 0.441 | 0.736 |
31. I perceive that jobs in the field of engineering are comparatively difficult. (R) | 2.63 | 1.03 | 0.161 | 0.821 |
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Tzeng, SY., Yu, KC., Wu, PH. et al. Do attitudes matter? An investigation into students’ attitudes toward engineering and learning performances through engineering-focused STEM curricula. Int J Technol Des Educ (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-024-09899-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-024-09899-1