Professional Development Through Engineering Academies: An Examination of Elementary Teachers' Recognition and Understanding of Engineering

Background K-12 teachers typically lack formal instruction on engineering. To address this issue, the Institute for P-12 Engineering Research and Learning (INSPIRE) developed engineering academies for elementary teachers. During 2006 and 2007, 40 teachers participating in the academies each completed an engineering photo journal. Purpose(Hypothesis) The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of week-long engineering summer academies on elementary teachers' recognition and understanding of engineering in the world around them. Design/Method The change in teachers' recognition and understanding of engineering in the world around them was measured by analyzing pre/post academy engineering photo journal entries using the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy as a framework to code the journal responses. Paired t-tests were conducted and effect sizes calculated to determine change from pre to post academy for each academy year, and for each Revised Bloom's Taxonomy Cognitive Level. Results Results showed teachers demonstrated change in understanding after participation in the engineering academies. Further, 2007 teachers showed greater change than did 2006 teachers. Overall, teachers demonstrated significant changes in the Cognitive Levels of Remember, Analyze, and Evaluate during the academies. Conclusion The photo journal and corresponding coding scheme were used successfully to measure teachers' change in recognition and understanding of engineering. These tools helped INSPIRE researchers to better understand teachers' abilities to communicate engineering ideas. These tools will be useful in classroom settings to assess teacher and student ideas and understanding about engineering.