Analysis of K-12 engineering education curricula in the United States - A preliminary report

Abstract

A number of initiatives in the United States have attempted or are attempting to develop or promote opportunities for K-12 students to learn engineering. For the most part, however, there is little evidence of what works, little agreement about how these efforts might be judged, and little understanding among the policy and practitioner communities about which initiatives sit on stronger or weaker theoretical foundations. This paper discusses preliminary observations from an analysis of nearly two dozen K-12 engineering curricula, conducted as part of a major study of K-12 engineering in the United States. Among other factors, the analysis examined the mission and goals of the curricula; the presence of engineering concepts, such as analysis, modeling, systems, and constraints; and the use of mathematics, science, and technology. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2008.