Page 83 - Standards for K-12 Engineering Education

Standards for K-12 Engineering Education?

68 STANDARDS FOR K–12 ENGINEERING EDUCATION?

Fortunately, interest in K–12 engineering over the past decade has yielded a variety of activities,
projects, and products that can inform the process. Among these are various science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) standards, engineering-oriented curricula, studies by the
National Academy of Engineering, and research on engineering learning outcomes appropriate
for K–12 students. Given these activities and the need for a well defined concept base as a
foundation for curriculum, professional development, and research, it is time we had a study to
coalesce and refine the conceptual base for engineering education at the K–12 level.

Purpose of Study
The purpose of the present study was to identify and refine a conceptual foundation for
secondary school engineering education. The study attempts to address the following research
questions:
1. What engineering concepts are present in literature related to the nature and
philosophy of engineering?
2. What engineering concepts are embedded in secondary level science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics standards?
3. What engineering concepts are embedded in secondary level engineering-oriented
curricula?
4. What engineering concepts have been identified in the research literature?
5. What engineering concepts are considered to be core concepts for secondary level
education by practicing engineers and engineering educators?

Key input for the study comes from a review and synthesis of extant educational
materials focused primarily on standards, curricular materials, and research. In addition to these
materials, literature from the history and philosophy of engineering was reviewed and included
in the analysis. A series of focus group sessions was held with selected engineering educators
and practicing engineers to identify and classify their recommendations for concepts appropriate
to secondary level engineering education. As a final phase of the process, a reaction and
validation panel will meet in late July 2009.

Literature Review/Theoretical Foundations
Numerous reasons have been cited for including engineering in K–12 education. Erekson
and Custer (2008) summarized three of them: engineering would help to (a) facilitate
technological literacy, (b) provide a learning context for math and science, and (c) enhance an
engineering pathway. These three principles have spurred the growth of engineering education at
the K–12 level. For example, a 2007 NSF review of engineering education identified numerous
K–12 engineering programs including: (a) projects at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the
University of Colorado at Boulder; (b) curricular programs, such as The Infinity Project and
Project Lead the Way; (c) business-oriented programs, such as the Ford Partnership for
Advanced Students; and (d) competitions, such as the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science
and Technology’s Robotics Competition. Based on that review of K–12 programs, the authors of
the report concluded that there are “many faces of engineering K–12 curriculum” (Aung et al.,
2007, p. 27).
To help educators looking for ways to integrate engineering into secondary level
education, we must first define K–12 engineering content. Many involved in technology

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