bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of Dysfunctional Cooperative Learning Teams Based on Students' Academic Achievement
Authors: Hsiung Chin‐Min
Published: January 2013

Background

Considerable evidence exists to suggest that students who study cooperatively reap significant benefits in terms of their learning performance. However, sooner or later, most cooperative learning teams have to deal with one or more members whose actions disturb the team. Unless these problems are quickly resolved, the cooperative learning team gradually becomes dysfunctional and the benefits of cooperative learning are diminished.

Purpose (Hypothesis)

A method is proposed for identifying dysfunctional cooperative learning teams by comparing the academic achievement of students in a cooperative learning condition with that of students in an individual learning condition.

Design/Method

A series of experiments were performed in which 42 sophomore mechanical engineering students were randomly assigned to the two learning conditions and were formed into mixed‐ability groups comprising three team members. The academic performance of the students in the two learning conditions was then systematically compared in terms of their respective test scores.

Results

Dysfunctional teams were identified using a new quality index defined as the mean test score of the team divided by the standard deviation of the team members' test scores. The probability of a Type I error was quantified using a control chart. The identification results were verified by analyzing the students' off‐task behavior frequency and attitudes toward cooperative learning, respectively.

Conclusions

The experimental results confirm that the proposed quality index is a potential indicator of dysfunctional cooperative learning teams.
Improving Problem Solving Performance by Inducing Talk about Salient Problem Features
Authors: Steif Paul S. , Lobue Jamie M. , Kara Levent B. , Fay Anne L.
Published: January 2013

Background

Across many domains, research has shown that students often fail to select and apply appropriate conceptual knowledge when solving problems. Programs designed to support monitoring skills have been successful in several domains.

Purpose (Hypothesis)

Critical conceptual knowledge in statics appears to be cued by paying attention to the bodies that are present in a problem, as well as to which ones are interacting and how. The research question addresses whether students can be induced to think about the bodies present, and whether focusing on bodies improves problem solving performance.

Design/Method

Using a pre‐post test design, written and verbal protocols were obtained for students solving problems before and after instruction. During instruction all students saw the same set of examples and corrected answers, but only the experimental group was asked questions designed to promote body centered talk. Solutions and protocols were coded and analyzed for frequency of body centered talk and solution quality.

Results

The experimental group showed statistically significant increases in relevant body centered talk after instruction. Both groups improved their ability to represent unknown forces in free body diagrams after instruction, with the experimental group showing a greater, but not statistically significant, improvement. However, for both groups, the error rate in representing unknown forces at an interaction was significantly lower when a student referred to the bodies in the particular interaction.

Conclusions

Problem solving in conceptually rich domains can improve if, in addition to acquiring conceptual knowledge, students develop strategies for recognizing when and how to apply it.
Diffusion of Engineering Education Innovations: A Survey of Awareness and Adoption Rates in U.S. Engineering Departments
Authors: Borrego Maura , Froyd Jeffrey E. , Hall T. Simin
Published: January 2013

Background

Despite decades of effort focused on improvement of engineering education, many recent advances have not resulted in systemic change. Diffusion of innovations theory is used to better understand this phenomenon.

Purpose (Hypothesis)

Research questions include: How widespread is awareness and adoption of established engineering education innovations? Are there differences by discipline or institutional type? How do engineering department chairs find out about engineering education innovations? What factors do engineering department chairs cite as important in adoption decisions?

Design/Method

U.S. engineering department chairs were surveyed regarding their awareness and department use of seven engineering education innovations. One hundred ninety‐seven usable responses are presented primarily as categorical data with Chi square tests where relevant.

Results

Overall, the awareness rate was 82 percent, while the adoption rate was 47 percent. Eighty‐two percent of engineering departments employ student‐active pedagogies (the highest). Mechanical and civil engineering had the highest rates, in part due to many design‐related innovations in the survey. Few differences by institution type were evident. In the past, word of mouth and presentations were far more effective than publications in alerting department chairs to the innovations. Department chairs cited financial resources, faculty time and attitudes, and student satisfaction and learning as major considerations in adoption decisions.

Conclusions

The importance of disciplinary networks was evident during survey administration and in the results. Specific recommendations are offered to employ these networks and the engineering professional societies for future engineering education improvement efforts.
Predicting STEM Degree Outcomes Based on Eighth Grade Data and Standard Test Scores
Authors: Nicholls Gillian M. , Wolfe Harvey , Besterfield‐Sacre Mary , Shuman Larry J.
Published: January 2013

Background

Early identification of students who are potential candidates for achieving a degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) major would enable educators to offer programs designed to better enhance student interests and capabilities in those areas.

Purpose(Hypothesis)

This study uses an integrated model leveraging the strengths of multiple statistical techniques to analyze the educational process from pre‐high school through college and predict which students will achieve a STEM education.

Design/Method

The probability of earning a STEM degree is modeled using variables available as of the eighth grade as well as standardized test scores from high school. These include demographic, attitudinal, experiential, and academic performance measures derived from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) dataset. The integrated model combines logistic regression, survival analysis, and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis to predict whether an individual is likely to obtain a STEM degree.

Results

Predicted results of the integrated model were compared to actual outcomes and those of a separate logistic regression model. The modeling process identified a set of significant predictive variables and achieved very good predictive accuracy. The integrated model and logistic regression model performed with comparable precision.

Conclusions

The modeling process was adept at identifying STEM students and a large pool of other degree students that might have been capable of pursuing a STEM degree. The results suggest that it is quite feasible to identify good STEM candidates for a pro‐STEM intervention to engage their interest in STEM and support stronger quantitative skill development.
Pre‐college Electrical Engineering Instruction: The Impact of Abstract vs. Contextualized Representation and Practice on Learning
Authors: Reisslein Martin , Moreno Roxana , Ozogul Gamze
Published: January 2013

Background

While engineering instructional materials and practice problems for pre‐college students are often presented in the context of real‐life situations, college‐level texts are typically written in abstract form.

Purpose (Hypothesis)

The goal of this study was to jointly examine the impact of contextualizing engineering instruction and varying the number of practice opportunities on pre‐college students' learning and learning perceptions.

Design/Method

Using a 3 × 2 factorial design, students were randomly assigned to learn about electrical circuit analysis with an instructional program that represented problems in abstract, contextualized, or both forms, either with two practice problems or four practice problems. The abstract problems were devoid of any real‐life context and represented with standard abstract electrical circuit diagrams. The contextualized problems were anchored around real‐life scenarios and represented with life‐like images. The combined contextualized‐abstract condition added abstract circuit diagrams to the contextualized representation. To measure learning, students were given a problem‐solving near‐transfer post‐test. Learning perceptions were measured using a program‐rating survey where students had to rate the instructional program's diagrams, helpfulness, and difficulty.

Results

Students in the combined contextualized‐abstract condition scored higher on the post‐test, produced better problem representations, and rated the program's diagrams and helpfulness higher than their counterparts. Students who were given two practice problems gave higher program diagram and helpfulness ratings than those given four practice problems.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that pre‐college engineering instruction should consider anchoring learning in real‐life contexts and providing students with abstract problem representations that can be transferred to a variety of problems.
Exploring Engineering Graduate Student Research Proficiency with Student Surveys
Authors: Rogers Scott W. , Goktas Recep K.
Published: January 2013

Background

Research is considered the essence of graduate engineering education, but knowledge about the engineering graduate student research experience is scarce in literature. Some studies that examine graduate engineering education suggest that students are experiencing educational deficiencies that can affect the research experience. Thus, exploring engineering graduate student research proficiency is warranted.

Purpose (Hypothesis)

This work begins to earnestly answer the research questions “How proficient are engineering graduate students in research?” and “What factors affect the research proficiency of these students?”

Design/Method

In order to answer the two research questions specifically for the Georgia Institute of Technology Environmental Engineering graduate program, current students in the program participated in two surveys. Survey questions were designed to measure students' perceptions of their research proficiency and to aid in determining student academic motivations tied to proficiency.

Results

Many students indicated that they lacked research preparation upon beginning graduate study and during the first year of study, lacked development in important research skills like statistics and communicating in writing, and were somewhat hindered in research organization and progress. Regarding academic motivations, students generally valued personal advancement and enrichment over paper publication. Doctoral students overall indicated more preparation with respect to several aspects of research and more value placed on paper publication than did master's students.

Conclusions

The surveys provided important findings regarding student research proficiency for the engineering graduate program in question. These findings encourage the exploration of engineering graduate student research proficiency on a broader scale in future studies.
A Cognitive Study of Problem Solving in Statics
Authors: Litzinger Thomas A. , Meter Peggy Van , Firetto Carla M. , Passmore Lucas J. , Masters Christine B. , Turns Stephen R. , Gray Gary L. , Costanzo Francesco , Zappe Sarah E.
Published: January 2013

Background

Even as expectations for engineers continue to evolve to meet global challenges, analytical problem solving remains a central skill. Thus, improving students' analytical problem solving skills remains an important goal in engineering education. This study involves observation of students as they execute the initial steps of an engineering problem solving process in statics.

Purpose (Hypothesis)

(1) What knowledge elements do statics students have the greatest difficulty applying during problem solving? (2) Are there differences in the knowledge elements that are accurately applied by strong and weak statics students? (3) Are there differences in the cognitive and metacognitive strategies used by strong and weak statics students during analysis?

Design/Method

These questions were addressed using think‐aloud sessions during which students solved typical textbook problems. We selected the work of twelve students for detailed analysis, six weak and six strong problem solvers, using an extreme groups split based on scores on the think‐aloud problems and a course exam score. The think‐aloud data from the two sets of students were analyzed to identify common technical errors and also major differences in the problem solving processes.

Conclusions

We found that the weak, and most of the strong problem solvers relied heavily on memory to decide what reactions were present at a given connection, and few of the students could reason physically about what reactions should be present. Furthermore, the cognitive analysis of the students' problems solving processes revealed substantial differences in the use of self‐explanation by weak and strong students.
The Emergence of Engineering Education Research as an Internationally Connected Field of Inquiry
Authors: Borrego Maura , Bernhard Jonte
Published: January 2013

Background

In recent years, engineering education research (EER) has emerged as an internationally connected field of inquiry through the establishment of EER conferences, interest groups within engineering education societies, Ph.D. programs, and departments and centers at universities. Improving the preparation and training of engineers through EER is critical to solving major engineering challenges in sustainability, climate change, civil infrastructure, energy, and public health.

Purpose

The purpose of this article is twofold: (1) to introduce EER as a field of inquiry, and (2) to describe the U.S. and Northern and Central European approaches to EER as two examples of the diversity of approaches.

Scope/Method

The article is organized around a framework from the European didaktik tradition, which focuses on answering the w‐questions of education. The major sections describe what, why, to what end, where, who, and how EER is conducted.

Conclusion

Northern and Central European educational approaches focus on authentic, complex problems, while U.S. approaches emphasize empirical evidence. Additionally, disciplinary boundaries and legitimacy are more salient issues in the U.S., while the Northern and Central European Bildung philosophy integrates across disciplines toward development of the whole person. Understanding and valuing complementary perspectives is critical to growth and internationalization of EER.
Engineering Instructional Development: Programs, Best Practices, and Recommendations
Authors: Felder Richard M. , Brent Rebecca , Prince Michael J.
Published: January 2013

Background

Economic globalization, rapid advances in technology and cognitive science, and a worldwide movement toward outcomes‐based program accreditation increasingly require changes in the traditional model of engineering education design and delivery. As yet, no validated framework exists for designing instructional development programs that would equip engineering educators to make those changes. Existing programs consequently vary considerably in scope and effectiveness across countries and institutions.

Purpose

This article reviews the content and structures of instructional development programs around the world and formulates a robust framework for designing and delivering effective programs for engineering educators.

Scope/Method

Literature on the design, implementation, and evaluation of instructional development programs is reviewed and summarized. Five criteria drawn from Raymond Wlodkowski's theory of adult learner motivation (expertise of instructors, relevance of content, choice in application, praxis [action plus reflection], and groupwork) are proposed as a framework for designing engineering instructional development programs, and the framework is applied to formulate recommendations for making programs effective. Research questions that should be explored to validate the framework are suggested.

Conclusion

Wlodkowski's five‐factor theory of adult learner motivation provides a good framework for the design of engineering instructional development programs. The criteria are compatible with the cognitive science‐based How People Learn instructional model and also with recommendations of faculty development authorities. Making engineering instructional development effective at an institution will require applying the criteria to program design and delivery and creating an institutional expectation of faculty participation in the programs.
Situated Engineering Learning: Bridging Engineering Education Research and the Learning Sciences
Authors: Johri Aditya , Olds Barbara M.
Published: January 2013

Contributors

Indigo Esmonde, University of Toronto; Krishna Madhavan, Purdue University; Wolff‐Michael Roth, University of Victoria; Dan L. Schwartz and Jessica Tsang, Stanford University; Estrid Sørensen, Humboldt University and Aarhus University; Iris Tabak, Ben Gurion University of the Negev

Background

The field of engineering education research has seen substantial growth in the last five years but it often lacks theoretical and empirical work on engineering learning that could be supplied by the learning sciences. In addition, the learning sciences have focused very little on engineering learning to date.

Purpose

This article summarizes prior work in the learning sciences and discusses one perspective—situative learning— in depth. Situativity refers to the central role of context, including the physical and social aspects of the environment, on learning. Furthermore, it emphasizes the socially and culturally negotiated nature of thought and action of persons in interaction. The aim of the article is to provide a foundation for future work on engineering learning and to suggest ways in which the learning sciences and engineering education research communities might work to their mutual benefit.

Scope/Method

The article begins with a brief discussion of recent developments in engineering education research. After an initial overview of the field of learning sciences, situative learning is discussed and three analytical aspects of the perspective are outlined: social and material context, activities and interactions, and participation and identity. Relevant expert commentaries are interspersed throughout the article. The article concludes with an exploration of the potential for contributions from the learning sciences to understanding engineering learning.

Conclusion

There are many areas of mutual benefit for engineering education and the learning sciences and many potential areas of collaborative research that can contribute not only to engineering learning but to the learning sciences.
Problem‐based Learning: Influence on Students' Learning in an Electrical Engineering Course
Authors: Yadav Aman , Subedi Dipendra , Lundeberg Mary A. , Bunting Charles F.
Published: January 2013

Background

Recently, there has been a shift from using lecture‐based teaching methods in undergraduate engineering courses to using more learner‐centered teaching approaches, such as problem‐based learning. However, research on the impact of these approaches has mainly involved student perceptions of the teaching method and anecdotal and opinion pieces by faculty on their use of the teaching method, rather than empirically collected data on students' learning outcomes.

Purpose (Hypothesis)

This paper describes an investigation of the impact of problem‐based learning (PBL) on undergraduate electrical engineering students' conceptual understanding and their perceptions of learning using PBL as compared to lecture.

Design/Method

Fifty‐five students enrolled in an electrical engineering course at a Midwestern university participated in this research. The study utilized a within‐subjects A‐B‐A‐B research design with traditional lecture as the baseline phase and problem‐based learning as the experimental phase of the study. Participants completed pre‐ and post‐tests surrounding the four topics covered in the study and also completed a Student Assessment of Learning Gains (SALG) survey.

Result

Results suggested participants' learning gains from PBL were twice their gains from traditional lecture. Even though students learned more from PBL, students thought they learned more from traditional lecture. We discuss these findings and offer implications for faculty interested in implementing PBL.

Conclusion

Given the limited research on the beneficial effects of PBL on student learning, this study provides empirical support for PBL. We discuss findings from this study and provide specific implications for faculty and researchers interested in problem‐based learning in engineering.
Feminist Theory in Three Engineering Education Journals: 1995–2008
Authors: Beddoes Kacey , Borrego Maura
Published: January 2013

Background

Women remain underrepresented in engineering despite decades of effort. Feminist theory may explain why some well‐intentioned efforts actually reinforce the very conditions they seek to change.

Purpose(Hypothesis)

Our purpose is to understand and advance the use of feminist theory in engineering education research towards the goals of increasing gender diversity and equity in engineering. Specifically, we seek to address the following questions: How has feminist theory been engaged within engineering education scholar ship? And what opportunities exist for further engagement?

Design/Method

We analyzed articles fromJournal of Engineering Education (JEE),European Journal of Engineering (EJEE), andInternational Journal of Engineering Education (IJEE)that had women or gender as a central part of their studies. Titles, keywords, and abstracts for every article in the journals were reviewed for the years 1995–2008. The 88 articles directly addressing gender or women in engineering were analyzed to determine their level of engagement with feminist theory.

Result

Feminist theory is not widely engaged or systematically developed in this scholarship. Most work rests upon implicitly liberal and standpoint feminist theories, but a minority of articles point to intersectional, interactional, and masculinity studies approaches. We identified several ways in which deeper engagement with a wider range of feminist theories can benefit engineering education scholarship.

Conclusion

Feminist theory is underutilized within engineering education scholarship. Further engagement with, and systematic development of, feminist theory could be one beneficial way to move the field forward.
Nonparametric Survival Analysis of the Loss Rate of Undergraduate Engineering Students
Authors: Min Youngkyoung , Zhang Guili , Long Russell A. , Anderson Timothy J. , Ohland Matthew W.
Published: January 2013

Background

As presented by Willet and Singer (1991), survival analysis can sensitively reveal rich information about when students leave their majors. Although survival analysis has been used to investigate student and faculty retention, it has not been applied to undergraduate engineering student retention.

Purpose (Hypothesis)

The impact of cohort, gender, ethnicity, and SAT math and verbal scores on the loss rate of undergraduate engineering students was investigated to answer the questions: Does the profile of risk of dropout differ among groups with different backgrounds? When are students most likely to leave engineering? Which SAT scores better predict the risk of dropout?

Design/Method

Using a large longitudinal database that includes 100,179 engineering students from nine universities and spans 19 years, nonparametric survival analysis was adopted to obtain nonparametric estimates of survival and associated hazard functions, and complete rank tests for the association of variables.

Results

There are significant differences for early semesters: White or female students tend to leave engineering earlier than other populations. Engineering students leave engineering during the third semester the most, although students who have an SAT math score less than 550 tend to leave engineering during the second semester. SAT math score better predicts the risk of dropout than SAT verbal score.

Conclusion

The results of this study support using survival analysis to better understand factors that determine student success since student retention is a dynamic problem. Survival analysis allows characteristics such as risk to be evaluated by semester, giving insight to when interventions might be most effective.
Information Fluency Growth Through Engineering Curricula: Analysis of Students' Text‐Processing Skills and Beliefs
Authors: Taraban Roman
Published: January 2013

Background

Based on ABET engineering criteria and goals for engineering education, students must learn to actively process information and critically evaluate written and electronic sources of information in order to achieve professional skill levels.

Purpose (Hypothesis)

Two hypotheses were tested: during the freshman through senior years, (i) engineering students increase their use of cognitive strategies to process written forms of information; (ii) the ways in which students respond to written information become more interpretive, analytic, and critical.

Design/Method

Two validated scales were administered to engineering majors in their freshman through senior years. One scale measured use of reading strategies; the other measured attitudes about interpreting and critiquing written information. Additional questions concerning school‐related academic and reading activities and were used to interpret the scale scores in the context of the engineering curriculum.

Results

First‐year students had significantly higher analytic skills upon entry into the university, compared to a general university sample. There was a significant increase in the use of reading strategies from freshman through senior years, particularly practical reading strategies. There was also an increase in using written information as a resource, and a decline in critical analysis of written sources. Data about texts that students read linked these patterns to an emphasis in the curriculum on reading textbooks, solving textbook problems, and taking tests.

Conclusion

These cross‐sectional data suggest that engineering curricula are a significant influence in shaping the development of information fluency. A major implication is that engineering students have analytic and intellectual skills that can be developed further through adjustments to curricula.
Fostering Argumentation While Solving Engineering Ethics Problems
Authors: Jonassen David H. , Cho Young Hoan
Published: January 2013

Background

Ethical issues pervade engineering practice. Ethical problems are ill‐structured with alternative solutions, perspectives, and rationales for justifying solutions to ethical problems. We describe studies examining argumentation as a pedagogical strategy for engaging engineering students in ethical problem solving.

Purpose (Hypothesis)

Previous studies by the authors showed that arguing for solutions to ethical problems is an effective strategy for helping students to learn how to address multiple perspectives in support of ethical problems. However, from an argumentative perspective, a significant weakness in student solutions to ethical problems is conceiving and rebutting counterarguments.

Design/Mscethod

In two experiments, engineering students constructed argumentative solutions to everyday engineering ethics problems in a complex hypertext representing multiple perspectives. Experiment 1 compared the effects of arguing against one's own solution versus solutions recommended by others. Experiment 2 evaluated the effects of providing examples of counterarguments on justifications for students' solutions.

Results

In two experiments, engineering students constructed argumentative solutions to everyday engineering ethics problems in a complex hypertext representing multiple perspectives. Experiment 1 compared the effects of arguing against one's own solution versus solutions recommended by others. Experiment 2 evaluated the effects of providing examples of counterarguments on justifications for students' solutions.

Conclusions

Engineering students can learn to meaningfully address ethical issues; however, more sustained treatments are necessary to help students to transfer those skills more broadly.
Modeling Engineering Degree Attainment Using High School and College Physics and Calculus Coursetaking and Achievement
Authors: Tyson Will
Published: January 2013

Background

Models of engineering retention use high school GPA and mathematics standardized test scores to measure pre‐college characteristics and first year of college GPA to measure academic integration in college. This study uses high school and college physics and calculus coursetaking and achievement to predict engineering degree attainment among students on‐track for an engineering degree.

Purpose (Hypothesis)

This study predicts that high school accelerated physics and calculus coursetaking and grades influences grades earned in college physics and calculus and both sets of factors influence engineering degree attainment.

Design/Mscethod

Multinomial logistic regression analyses determine the effects of high or low achievement in high school on high and low achievement in college physics and calculus courses and the effects of both on earning an engineering degree.

Results

Pre‐college characteristics and academic integration were not consistently related to the destination of engineering migrants. Community college enrollment was not related to attrition. High school calculus achievement is the strongest predictor of grades in college physics and calculus courses, accounting for the positive effects of accelerated physics and calculus coursetaking.

Conclusions

Engineering degree attainment models should include coursetaking and particularly achievement in high school and college physics and calculus courses. Attrition outcomes should include the destination major in order to capture achievement effects on migration to business and non‐STEM fields compared to migration to other STEM fields that require quantitative skills acquired in physics and calculus courses.
Assessing Creativity Specific to Engineering with the Revised Creative Engineering Design Assessment
Authors: Charyton Christine , Jagacinski Richard J. , Merrill John A. , Clifton William , DeDios Samantha
Published: January 2013

Background

In engineering, creativity is vital for innovation. The revised Creative Engineering Design Assessment (CEDA) also assesses Usefulness, unlike existing tools.

Purpose (Hypothesis)

The primary purpose was to test for convergent validity of the CEDA with other engineering creativity and engineering specific measures. The CEDA was administered with the Purdue Creativity Test (PCT), the Purdue Spatial Visualization Test‐Rotations (PSVT‐R), and a Systems Test that assessed rollercoaster design functionality. We hypothesized that the CEDA would be moderately related to the PCT and anticipated a slight relationship with the PSVT‐R and Systems Test. We also investigated gender differences to follow up on previous research.

Design/Mscethod

Participants were 259 engineering students (221 males and 38 females) in an introductory engineering design two‐course sequence who completed the CEDA and PCT (in a cross sectional design). We analyzed PVST‐R scores for Fundamentals of Engineering I and Systems Test scores for Fundamentals of Engineering II.

Results

The CEDA showed high inter‐rater reliability. The CEDA and the PCT were significantly related to each other and the CEDA was modestly related to the PSVT‐R, both demonstrating convergent validity. Male and female engineering students did not significantly differ on the CEDA, PCT, PSVT‐R or Systems Test.

Conclusions

The CEDA showed high inter‐rater reliability. The CEDA and the PCT were significantly related to each other and the CEDA was modestly related to the PSVT‐R, both demonstrating convergent validity. Male and female engineering students did not significantly differ on the CEDA, PCT, PSVT‐R or Systems Test.
A Psychometric Re‐Evaluation of the Design, Engineering and Technology (DET) Survey
Authors: Hong Tao , Purzer ŞEnay , Cardella Monica E.
Published: January 2013

Background

Instrument development is an iterative process that requires continuous efforts to ensure the psychometric soundness of the assessment tools. Previous research has provided validity evidence for the design, engineering, and technology (DET) survey in assessing K‐12 teachers' familiarity with and perceptions of engineering.

Purpose (Hypothesis)

The purpose of this study was to re‐examine the psychometric soundness of the DET survey with a new data set collected from elementary teachers representing a national population. In addition, details regarding how to appropriately conduct confirmatory (CFA) and exploratory (EFA) factor analyses and item analysis were presented.

Design/Mscethod

The DET survey was administered to 405 elementary teachers (second through sixth grades) between 2006 and 2010. First, a CFA was conducted to test the factor structure based on a theoretical model. Second, an EFA was used to explore and refine the factor structure. Finally, item analysis was used to evaluate individual item performance and estimate internal reliability.

Results

While the CFA conducted using the new sample reported unsatisfactory fit indices to the previous DET model, the EFA proposed a refined four‐factor solution explaining 74% of the total variance. The item analysis revealed problems with several items that possibly contributed to the CFA results.

Conclusions

The DET is a useful instrument with sufficient reliability and moderate validity evidence. However, we recommend revisions of its scale and several items. We also recommend future research with middle and high school teachers as well as with teachers in different cultural contexts and countries.
Leaving Engineering: A Multi‐Year Single Institution Study
Authors: Marra Rose M. , Rodgers Kelly A. , Shen Demei , Bogue Barbara
Published: January 2013

Background

As estimates continue to indicate a growing demand for engineering professionals, retention in engineering remains an issue. Thus, the engineering education community remains concerned about students who leave engineering and must work to identify the factors that influence those students’ decisions.

Purpose (Hypothesis)

Our purpose was to identify a set of factors describing the experiences of students’ in a college of engineering that are strong influences on decisions to leave and study how those factors are related to both predictor variables (e.g., high school preparation) and future behaviors (e.g., new major chosen).

Design/Method

We solicited survey data from students who had recently transferred out of a large engineering college. We conducted exploratory factor analysis to determine the main factors for leaving engineering and then used these factors to answer the research questions.

Results

Results indicate that both academic (e.g., curriculum difficulty and poor teaching and advising) and a non‐academic factor (lack of belonging in engineering) contribute to students’ decisions to leave engineering. We did find differences for some factors between majority and non‐majority students; however, there were no gender differences.

Conclusions

Both academic and non‐academic factors contribute to students’ decisions to leave engineering; however, our sample indicated the non‐academic factors may be a stronger influence. Implications for educators focus on addressing both academic and the belonging factor and include examining pedagogical activities that may be less welcoming to a wide variety of student groups, providing opportunities for meaningful faculty interaction and other activities designed to support students pursuing engineering degrees.
Students' Ways of Experiencing Human‐Centered Design
Authors: Zoltowski Carla B. , Oakes William C. , Cardella Monica E.
Published: January 2013

Background

Design is a central and distinguishing activity of engineering and one of the core criteria for evaluating and accrediting engineering programs. Design is also a subject area that poses many challenges for faculty, and incorporating human‐centered design approaches—approaches in which designers have as a focus the people they are designing for—poses additional challenges. Human‐centered approaches to design contribute to innovations in engineering design and have been shown to increase productivity, improve quality, reduce errors, improve acceptance of new products, and reduce development costs. In today's globally competitive economy, it is more important than ever to develop effective design skills within the undergraduate years.

Purpose (Hypothesis)

Before effective design learning experiences to develop the skills needed for human‐centered design can be created, an understanding of the ways in which students understand and experience human‐centered design is needed. This study addresses this need by investigating the qualitatively different ways in which students experience human‐centered design.

Design/Method

A phenomenographic framework was used to guide the methodology of the study while the literature and research on human‐centered design informed the construction of the study and provided ways to interpret the data and situate the findings. Thirty‐three student designers from a variety of academic contexts were interviewed using a semi‐structured, open‐ended approach in which they discussed concrete experiences “designing for others,” and reflections and meanings associated with those experiences.

Results

Analysis of the data yielded seven qualitatively different ways in which the students experienced humancentered design; these seven categories of description formed a two‐dimensional outcome space. Five of the categories were nested hierarchically. From less comprehensive to more comprehensive, those categories included: Human‐centered design as “User as Information Source Input to Linear Process,” “Keep Users' Needs in Mind,” “Design in Context,” “Commitment” and “Empathic Design.” Two categories represented ways of experiencing human‐centered design that were distinct: design was not humancentered, but “Technology‐Centered” and human‐centered design was not design, but “Service.”

Conclusion

This study found that i) students' understanding of the user and ii) their ability to integrate that into their designs are related in the development of more comprehensive ways of experiencing human‐centered design, and a conception of both aspects is needed. Furthermore, critical or immersive experiences involving real clients and users were important in allowing the students to experience human‐centered design in more comprehensive ways.
An Experimental Investigation of the Innovation Capabilities of Undergraduate Engineering Students
Authors: Genco Nicole , Hölttä‐Otto Katja , Seepersad Carolyn Conner
Published: January 2013

Background

One of the goals of most undergraduate engineering curricula is to prepare students to solve openended design problems. Solving design problems requires applying technical knowledge to create original ideas and turn those into practical applications. However, the impact of engineering curricula on the innovation capabilities of undergraduate engineers is not well understood.

Purpose (Hypothesis)

This study seeks to provide insights into the research question of whether freshman undergraduate engineering students can be more innovative than seniors. Innovation is measured in terms of the originality of the solutions they propose for an open‐ended design problem, as well as the technical feasibility of those solutions for practical application.

Design/Method

Freshman‐ and senior‐level undergraduate engineering students were tasked with developing solutions to a specific design problem (a next‐generation alarm clock). Both levels of students used a modified 6‐3‐5/C‐sketch method for generating concepts. A fraction of both the freshman and the senior students also received innovation enhancement. Resulting concepts were analyzed for originality and technical feasibility.

Results

Freshman students generated concepts that were significantly more original than those of seniors, with no significant difference in quality or technical feasibility of the concepts generated by the two levels of students.

Conclusions

Within the limitations of the study, the findings suggest that freshman engineering students can be more innovative than their senior‐level counterparts. This motivates the need for additional studies to investigate the effect of factors such as skill acquisition and design curricula on the innovation capabilities of students.
The Effectiveness of Cooperative Learning
Authors: Hsiung Chin‐min
Published: January 2013

Background

Empirical evidence suggests that students studying cooperatively exhibit significantly better academic achievement. However, since most prior studies do not carefully monitor the time on task, it is unclear whether the observed learning benefits are due to the intrinsic superiority of cooperative learning or merely a reflection of the increased amount of time students spend on studying.

Purpose (Hypothesis)

This study compares the learning effectiveness of cooperative and individualistic learning. The proposed approach carefully monitors the learning method and the time on task both in regular day‐time teaching classes and out‐of‐class studies.

Design/Method

A series of experiments was performed in which 42 mechanical engineering students were randomly assigned to individualistic or cooperative learning conditions, respectively, and were then formed into heterogeneous groups comprising three team members. The experiments were conducted over an 18‐week semester. In conducting the experiments, the students attended both regular classes and out‐of‐hours homework sessions.

Results

The experimental results showed that given a sufficient period of time for the cooperative learning teams to mature, the students in the cooperative learning condition performed substantially better in both the homework and unit tests than those in the individualistic learning condition.

Conclusions

Since the time on task was carefully monitored, the higher academic performance of the students in the cooperative learning condition suggests that cooperative learning is more effective than individualistic learning.
Conceptual and Procedural Approaches to Mathematics in the Engineering Curriculum: Student Conceptions and Performance
Authors: Engelbrecht Johann , Bergsten Christer , Kågesten Owe
Published: January 2013

Background

Demands by engineering faculties of mathematics departments have traditionally been for teaching computational skills while also expecting analytic and creative knowledge‐based skills. We report on a project between two institutions, one in South Africa and one in Sweden, that investigated whether the emphasis in undergraduate mathematics courses for engineering students would benefit from being more conceptually oriented than the traditional more procedurally oriented way of teaching.

Purpose (Hypothesis)

We focus on how second‐year engineering students respond to the conceptual‐procedural distinction, comparing performance and confidence between Swedish and South African groups of students in answering conceptual and procedural mathematics problems. We also compare these students’ conceptions on the role of conceptual and procedural mathematics problems within and outside their mathematics studies.

Design/Method

An instrument consisting of procedural and conceptual items as well as items on student opinions on the roles of the different types of knowledge in their studies was conducted with groups of second‐year engineering students at two universities, one in each country.

Results

Although differences between the two countries are small, Swedish students see procedural items to be more common in their mathematics studies while the South African students find both conceptual and procedural items common; the latter group see the conceptually oriented items as more common in their studies outside the mathematics courses.

Conclusions

Students view mathematics as procedural. Conceptual mathematics is seen as relevant outside mathematics. The use of mathematics in other subjects within engineering education can be experienced differently by students from different institutions, indicating that the same type of education can handle the application of mathematics in different ways in different institutions.
Women in Industrial Engineering: Stereotypes, Persistence, and Perspectives
Authors: Brawner Catherine E. , Camacho Michelle M. , Lord Susan M. , Long Russell A. , Ohland Matthew W.
Published: January 2013

Background

Industrial engineering (IE) draws in and graduates women at among the highest rates compared with most engineering majors in the U.S. Popular stereotypes suggest this is because IE is “easier” than other engineering majors

Purpose(Hypothesis)

This research interrogates prevailing assumptions about industrial engineering to explore why undergraduate women are drawn to industrial engineering over other engineering majors.

Design/Method

Our mixed method approach used three sources of data. Quantitative analyses of a large, longitudinal dataset allowed us to draw empirical generalizations about academic performance, attraction to, and persistence within industrial engineering among men and women. We triangulated this with qualitative focus group data among women majoring in IE. Finally, we used content analysis of university IE Web sites to understand context and discourse.

Results

In our dataset, industrial engineering is the only engineering major that gains women and men from the third semester through six‐year graduation and among all race‐gender combinations (except Black men). Women in focus groups reveal that they are drawn to IE for a myriad of social factors including: warmth, flexibility, a sense it is more feminine, and career opportunities, among others. Content analysis of Web sites reveals that IE emphasizes collegiality and leadership opportunities as intrinsic to the discipline.

Conclusions

Using a social capital framework, we showed that the context of IE, including prevailing norms and possibilities for networking, promotes ideologies of success that lead to greater attraction to and persistence within the major.