This cohort had 2 years of LEGO robotics. Last year’s only had one. Also, the unit was much more successful this year. I did change the wording of the engineering question slightly this year to match another study sponsored by Intel so they can’t be compared exactly. The answers key is:
- SA – Strongly agree
- A – Agree
- NAD – Neither agree or disagree
- D – Disagree
- SD – Strongly Disagree
The interest in engineering appears much more positive than last year, which could be due to the change in wording, the more successful unit, or the more experience in robotics. I also added an open ended question to explain their answer to the “interest in engineering” question. Many six graders answered that they liked engineering but were interested in other careers. Some were interested and described it as cool, that they are really interested in technology, or, in one case, as a good way to make money.
I forgot to give the presurvey this year so I can’t compare before and after.
Someone asked for last year’s results so here they are. Though we can’t compare them directly, it is clear there was a much more positive attitude towards engineering this year.
Hi John,
Interesting results. You might develop a graph that shows last year’s results as well, so the comparison is displayed graphically.
Can you put up a link to the Intel study as well. Might be worth a look.
Thanks, Wayne
http://newsroom.intel.com/community/intel_newsroom/blog/2011/12/06/exposure-to-engineering-doubles-teens-career-interest
Wayne, I added last year’s results to the original post. Thanks, as always, for the comments!