PECASE: Developmental Engineering: An Examination of Early Learning Experiences as Antecedents of Engineering Education

Purdue University, West Lafayette IN

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5) This engineering education research CAREER award to Purdue University will examine early childhood precursors to engineering thinking in children between the ages of 3 and 5. This novel and comprehensive research in developmental engineering has three phases which build on each other and integrate research and education goals. This effort will investigate how young children perceive and learn about the engineered world, and then will use these results to find appropriate ways to integrate engineering concepts into early childhood education and support of young children's discovery. The third phase will focus on transformation of teacher education to include developmental engineering pedagogy in classroom practice. Two different environments have been selected for this study, a head start center and a university child development laboratory classroom, to insure participation from a diverse population of students. This research will advance understanding of fundamental issues related to how young children start to think about and learn about engineering concepts. Choices that determine education and career paths begin to accumulate from a very early age, and this work will result in a much broader student population with stronger STEM preparation. Over the long term this can increase the number and diversity of engineering professionals needed to fill engineering jobs.