• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.719-730
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to investigate how engineering design-based STEM research experience affects gifted students' creative engineering problem-solving propensity and attitude toward engineering. The students' creative engineering problem-solving propensity and attitude toward engineering were measured before and after the STEM research experience. The pre-/post-tests results were analyzed by paired t-test with the significance level of p <.05. The conclusions of the study are as follows: First, the engineering design based STEM research experience had a positive effect on the students' creative engineering problem-solving propensity. Over all, the average score of the creative engineering problem-solving propensity increased significantly (p <.05) after the STEM research experience. Second, the average score of gifted-students' attitude toward engineering had increased significantly after the integrated STEM research activities (p <.05). In addition, we analyzed the difference between pre-post results of both instruments based on the gifted students' desired career paths (natural science and engineering) and gender. The result shows that the students' career paths or gender did not affect the results in most of the sub-categories in both instruments. However, the STEM research experience had more positive effect on the female students than male students in term of their 'engineering design ability', which is one of the sub-categories of the creative engineering problem-solving propensity instrument.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.276-291
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• 2016

This study is to develop a valid and reliable instrument for measuring students' creative engineering problem solving propensity. The creative engineering problem solving is operationally defined in this study as a creative problem solving skill in an engineering context. To develop the instrument, first we define seven common constructs between engineering problem solving skill and creative problem solving skill through an intensive literature review; motivation, context, personal character, engineering design, engienering habits of mind, understandings of engineering and engineers, communication skill, and collaboration skill. Based on the seven constructs and the face validity test conducted by two in-service science teachers and 4 experts in science education research, 40 preliminary items were developed. Then the preliminary instrument was implemented in a science gifted highschool to measure the reliability of the instrument. From the 40 items, 34 items were selected through the initial reliability test by Cronbach's ${\alpha}$(>.75). Finally through the three times of factor analysis process, 28 items in five construct categories were selected; motivation (3 items), engineering design (6 items), engineering habits of mind (9 items), understandings of engineering and engineers (4 items), communication and collaboration skill (6 items). The factor analysis result showed that the reliability of each construct category was between .733 to .892., meaning that the instrument is reliable in terms of the higher structural validity (each item is categorized in an appropriate construct category). We expect that the creative engineering problem solving propensity instrument developed in this study can be used in various contexts for STEAM education research as a reliable and valid instrument.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.436-445
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• 2019

This study presents how two types of integrated science and engineering lessons affect students' engineering problem solving skills and their perceptions of engineering. In total, 146 middle school students participated in this study. Eighty-six students participated in the Type I lesson (complete engineering design lesson with a science knowledge application) and 60 students participated in the Type II lesson (engineering design without a science knowledge application). Two main datasets, (1) students' Creative Engineering Problem Solving Propensity (CEPSP) measurement scores and (2) open-ended survey questions about students' perceptions of engineering, were collected before and after the lessons. The results of this study show that after participating in the Type I lesson, students' CEPSP scores significantly increased, whereas the CEPSP scores of the students who participated in the Type II lesson did not increase significantly. In addition, students who participated in the Type I lesson perceived engineering and the engineering integrated science lesson differently compared to the students who participated in the Type II lesson. The results of this study show that engineering integrated science, technology, engineering & mathematics (STEM) lessons should include a complete engineering design and a science knowledge application to improve students' engineering problem solving skills.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.117-131
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to develop a board game design activity for environmental education and to investigate how it affects high school students' environmental knowledge, environmental literacy, and creative engineering problem solving propensity. Twenty-five freshman and sophomore students belonging to the environmental club participated in this study. The board game activity was designed as 10 class hours lessons based on the engineering design process. The main data source of this study was pre-post students' conceptual maps of the environmental topics (global warming or ecosystem destruction) to measure the background knowledge on the topic. In addition, the environmental literacy measurement questionnaire and the creative engineering problem solving propensity questionnaire were collected before and after the activity. The result shows that the number of environment-related words described by the students on the post-concept map increased compared to the pre-concept map. In addition, the environmental literacy score and the creative engineering problem-solving propensity score increased significantly after performing the board game design activity. The results show that environmental lessons using board game design activities can help student develop various competencies in a good way. As above, research that combines board games and secondary education must be activated, and a new educational method and systemic support for in-service teachers who want to apply it to science classroom is required.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.79-89
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• 2023

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of engineering design-based ocean cleanup classes on STEAM attitudes and creative engineering problem-solving dispositions. Furthermore, during this process, we tried to determine interesting points that students encountered in engineering design-based classes. For this study, a science class with six lessons based on engineering design was developed and reviewed by a professor who majored in engineering design, along with five engineering design experts with a master's degree or higher. The subject of the class was selected as the design and implementation of scientific and engineering measures to reduce marine pollution based on the method implemented in an actual Ocean Clean-up Project. The engineering design process utilized the engineering design model presented by NGSS (2013), and was configured to experience redesign through the optimization process. To verify effectiveness, the STEAM attitude questionnaire developed by Park et al. (2019) and the creative engineering problemsolving propensity test tool developed by Kang and Nam (2016) were used. A pre and post t-test was used for statistical analysis for the effectiveness test. In addition, the contents of interesting points experienced by the learners were transcribed after receiving descriptive responses, and were analyzed and visualized through degree centrality analysis. Results confirmed that engineering design in science classes had a positive effect on both STEAM attitude and creative engineering problem-solving disposition (p< .05). In addition, as a result of unstructured data analysis, science and engineering knowledge, engineering experience, and cooperation and collaboration appeared as factors in which learners were interested in learning, confirming that engineering experience was the main factor.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.605-617
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• 2023

In this study, a STEAM program emphasizing the engineering design process was developed and applied to investigate its effects on the creative engineering problem-solving proficiency and self-directed learning ability of elementary school students. In addition, the study compared and analyzed differences according to gender. The program was conducted across five sessions targeting 141 students in the fourth grade in an elementary school in the Gyeongin area. The study measured the creative engineering problem-solving disposition and self-directed learning ability of the students before and after the STEAM program. It also administered satisfaction and perception tests. The result confirmed that the STEAM program that emphasizes the engineering design process is effective in improving the creative engineering problem-solving propensity and self-directed learning ability of elementary school students, particularly female ones. Analyzing differences in changes based on gender, the study pinpointed significant improvements among female students in all factors except for the subfactor communication and collaboration within tendencies toward creative engineering problem-solving. For male students, the study observed significant effects in the factors engineering design and communication and collaboration. Lastly, the study discussed the educational implications of the findings.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.285-298
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• 2022

This study is to investigate the effects and characteristics of science and engineering integrated lessons on elementary students' creative engineering problem solving propensity (CEPSP). The science and engineering integrated lessons used in this study was a 10 lesson-hours STEM program, co-developed by University of Minnesota and Purdue University. The program was implemented in the 6th grade science class of H Elementary School located in P Metropolitan city. The main data of this study are the pre-post CEPSP result and interview with 5 students collected before and after the research. The CEPSP result was analyzed by a paired-sample t-test and hierarchical cluster analysis. As a result of the t-test, it was found that overall, the program has a positive effect on the students' CEPSP score. As a result of cluster analysis, it was confirmed that studnets' CEPSP could be classified into two groups (lower and higher score cluster). Five students whose, CEPSP score has significantly improved after the lessons were interviewed to find out what the characteristics of the program that contribute the significant change are. As a result of conducting centroid analysis of the interview transcription and the hybrid analysis method, it was found that the meaningful experiences that the five students commonly shared were 'problem solving through collaboration' and 'through repeated experiments (redesign)', problem solving' and 'utilization of scientific knowledge'. As minor reactions, 'choice of the best experimental method' and 'difference between science and engineering' appeared.