ERIC Number: EJ1005689
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 18
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1045-1064
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
High School Students' Use of Paper-Based and Internet-Based Information Sources in the Engineering Design Process
Pieper, Jon; Mentzer, Nathan
Journal of Technology Education, v24 n2 p78-95 Spr 2013
Mentzer and Becker (2011) and Becker and Mentzer (2012) demonstrated that high school students engaged in engineering design problems spent more time accessing information and spent more time designing when provided with Internet access. They studied high school students engaged in an engineering design challenge. The two studies attempted to apply the same research methodology as was used in previous work by Atman to facilitate comparison between high school students and experts. The 2011 study included Internet access, but the 2012 study did not. Their work showed that with Internet access, students spent an average of 137 minutes engaged in designing a playground and students allocated 47 minutes (35%) to information access. Without Internet access, similar students from the same schools on the same design problem spent an average of 92 minutes of which, 10 minutes (10%) was dedicated to information access. With limited computer access or limited time to enable students to access a computer in some classrooms, the research questions guiding this study are: (1) What information do high school students spend time accessing during an engineering design challenge? How much information comes from paper-based resources as compared to the Internet?; and (2) How much time do they spend accessing information? What is the balance of time spent accessing information from paper-based sources as compared to the Internet? Findings and implications of this research on student learning are discussed. Recommendations for future research are also offered. (Contains 5 tables and 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Access to Computers, Information Sources, High School Students, Engineering, Design, Internet, Research Methodology, Expertise, College Students, Engineering Education, Comparative Analysis, Access to Information, STEM Education, Playgrounds, Science Education
Journal of Technology Education. Web site: http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A