Kindergarten Innovators: Exploring Design Decisions in a Classroom Engineering Project
Restricted (Penn State Only)
- Author:
- Gil, Minyoung
- Graduate Program:
- Curriculum and Instruction
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- August 19, 2024
- Committee Members:
- Scott Mcdonald, Program Head/Chair
Allison Henward, Major Field Member
ChanMin Kim, Outside Unit & Field Member
Carla Zembal-Saul, Co-Chair & Dissertation Advisor
Matthew Johnson, Co-Chair & Dissertation Advisor
Christine Cunningham, Special Member - Keywords:
- Engineering education
Science education
Kindergarten engineering
Early childhood engineering
Engineering practices
Engineering design - Abstract:
- This study explores how kindergarten students engage in engineering design decision moments, emphasizing their active role and agency in the learning process. By examining the interactions during design decision moments of kindergartners during a nine-day engineering design challenge to create sun hats, developed by Youth Engineering Solution (YES), this study highlights the importance of viewing children not as passive recipients of knowledge but as active constructors of their learning experiences. This case study involved collecting multifaceted data through participant observation, and systematic analyzing of design decision moments to uncover how young students navigate engineering problem-solving. Key findings demonstrate that kindergarten students can make informed and creative design decisions while engaging in engineering design activities through hands-on engagement with materials, iterative problem-solving, and reflective thinking. These processes are facilitated by a well-designed engineering design curriculum and a supportive classroom environment, where teachers play a crucial role in guiding and encouraging students. Ms. Smith, the classroom teacher, employed multimodal strategies to enhance understanding, such as using gestures, visual aids, and linguistic supports, which helped students articulate their ideas and understand engineering principles. Ms. Smith also fostered a collaborative classroom culture with her students where peer support and feedback are integral. This study demonstrates how educators empower young learners to explore, experiment, and iterate on their designs. This approach not only supports learning engineering practices with a scientific understanding but also nurtures young children’s innate creativity, resilience, and a sense of ownership over the learning process. The findings offer valuable insights for early childhood and science educators, curriculum developers, and teacher educators, emphasizing the need for understanding young children’s design decision moments and providing supportive environments that encourage young students to engage deeply with engineering problem-solving. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on early childhood engineering education, advocating for teaching practices that recognize and build upon children’s natural curiosity and problem-solving experience. In conclusion, this research highlights that young children can take on active roles in engineering problem-solving, not only as natural engineers, but also with well-designed instructional and curricular support enhancing their participation in engineering practices. The study calls for educational practices that position children at the center in their engineering learning journeys.