The Impact of a Middle School Engineering Course on Students’ Academic Achievement and Non-Cognitive Skills

Abstract

Engineering and integrated STEM experiences are being promoted at theK-12 level to increase interest and retention in STEM and to reinforce learningof mathematics and science content. However, research is still emergingregarding best practices for curriculum development, student impacts, andtransfer of knowledge across disciplines. The purpose of this study is toinvestigate the impact of middle school engineering curriculum on students’academic achievement in science and mathematics and also on non-cognitiveskills such as student engagement and self-efficacy in academics. Specifically,the Engineering Design Process (EDP) conceptual model is used as a frameworkfor the engineering curriculum, which is also grounded in Problem-BasedLearning (PBL) practices while integrating science practices and foundationalmathematics. Participants include 6th-8th grade students atfour public middle schools in Georgia. The research results showthat students who have taken at least two engineering courses showstatistically significant gains on state-level standardized science and mathematicstests over those students who were never enrolled in these courses. Further,the results show a statistically significant increase in cognitive andbehavioral engagement in STEM and science interest. The results of this studysupport the idea that enabling students to practice their science and mathematicsskills and knowledge within the context of interesting and engaging middleschool engineering classes can significantly benefit both their engagement inSTEM and their academic achievement.