Diagnosing Engineering Skills in Primary Classrooms

Abstract

Engineering has been introduced in primary schools in many countries. Besides familiarising pupils with technology, it aims to provide positive experiences with technology. This dissertation offers diagnostic opportunities to adapt engineering lessons to differences in skill level, evaluate the effectiveness of lessons, inform pupils and parents about skills and progress and communicate with colleagues about successful approaches. The main research question of this dissertation was: ‘Which support can a diagnostic tool designed for classroom use offer teachers to infer and promote pupils’ engineering skills?’ Four studies were carried out to answer this question. The first study presented in Chapter 2 used the Evidence Centred Design framework to create and validate a blueprint, describing ten guidelines for compiling diagnostic tasks that are feasible to assess pupils’ prior knowledge about material-based systems often used in engineering activities at primary schools (e.g., constructions, mechanical systems and electric circuits). The second study described in Chapter 3 explores the tools’ suitability for classroom use. Teachers’ estimates of pupils’ engineering skills seem biased by their knowledge about pupils’ reading comprehension and math results. Biases were also found for pupils’ general learning behaviour and gender. Moreover, the less experienced teachers systematically underestimated their pupils’ engineering skills. Teachers were positive about the feasibility of the tool for classroom use. Chapter 4 describes the third study, which evaluated the effects of a training based on Nickerson’s anchoring and adjustment model. The diagnostic tool and its underlying theory were used to make teachers aware of the similarities and differences between their own understanding of technical systems and that of pupils at different stages of their comprehension of such systems. The training had a positive effect on the teachers’ ability to infer pupils’ thinking from task results. Moreover, the teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs with regard to teaching technical subjects were positively affected by the training. Chapter 5 describes the fourth study in which task difficulty was adapted or not adapted to pupils’ level of prior knowledge as indicated by the tool. Only tasks of at least that level induced skill development. Starting with tasks that matched their test result was most appreciated by pupils, but that appreciation did not relate to their skill development. There was an unexpected positive effect of a high challenge on low achievers but it had a negative effect on post-test results pupils with the second-highest pre-test level. The hands-on tasks were especially beneficial for pupils with low levels of prior knowledge. Chapter 6 discusses the answer to our main research question “Which support can a diagnostic tool designed for classroom use offer teachers to infer and promote pupils’ engineering skills?” through the model of Zi Yan et al. (2021) which states that intentions to use assessments are especially affected by instrumental attitude, training and self-efficacy beliefs. Our studies showed a positive effect on these factors. The application of the Fischer scale in the context of formative assessment created new opportunities to study adaptive teaching in the context of engineering.