Promoting the active participation of Year 9 students in making models of electric engines

J Audy and R Irvine
Edith Cowan University
Bunbury, Australia

The purpose of this study was to introduce high school students to diverse technology -- science-related -- activities and evaluate whether we could get them interested in bachelor’s courses offered at Edith Cowan University-South West (ECU-SW). In 2008, 36 Year 9 students entering Year 10 were interested in having three days of ‘hands-on’ science experience at ECU-SW. Among a wide range of science-related activities, they were involved in small-engine-making workshops, each running for over one and a half hours. The students were given an opportunity to assemble and test individualized engines, using supplied parts, following instructions provided in technical drawings and written comments in a simple one-sheet handout. At the end of the workshop, they were asked to reflect in writing on their feelings in terms of ‘challenges they were involved in’ and ‘how skilful they felt in what they were doing during individual production steps’. The results were used to:

• analyse a possible relationship between challenge and the skills of participants;
• judge the viability of such design project-based science activities for promoting technology science education at the university level; and
• monitor the preliminary interest of young people in science.

The students were observed and surveyed and the results were analysed. There was a good positive correlation between the skills of the participants and challenge. Also, there appears to be some value in introducing this type of workshop in the first-year tertiary unit entitled ‘Introduction to Physical Science’, so that education students can use this material as a teaching and learning tool when they are in local high schools during practical training. Finally, most students were able to complete the tasks and enjoyed the workshop. Their satisfaction responses were extremely high (over 90%); and they also appreciated teaching and learning issues relevant to science and expressed interest in further study in the area.