Not just for nerds: embedding science activities within a design, engineering, and technology (DET) environment

Design, engineering, and technology (DET) holds the promise of interesting students in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) careers and developing a better understanding of STEM in their own lives. However, the current K-12 curriculum devotes little time to DET concepts despite their being addressed in the National Science Education Standards. This paper presents data from a DET course developed for science education graduate students which uses the existing curriculum for introducing DET into the classroom. Data from lesson plans, weekly reflections on readings, trial activities in K-12 classrooms, and focus groups tracked changes in understanding DET and the ability to embed DET into existing science activities. Data was coded using qualitative techniques and a rubric with six categories (engineering as a design process, gender and diversity, social relevance of engineering, technical self-efficacy, tinkering self-efficacy, and transfer to the classroom) that measured achievement of course goals. Understanding and progression of metacognition was linked to instructional activities and readings.