Examining Teacher Knowledge in Connecting Engineering Design to Science Instruction in the Elementary Classroo

There is limited research about teaching elementary students in the field of engineering. Few articles and research address engineering in kindergarten through fifth grade classrooms. The literature that does exist falls under broader topics and/or are encompassed by a larger umbrella such as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), offering very little about the engineering component. Many multiple-subject credentialed teachers tend to panic when they begin teaching engineering to their class of young students feeling ill prepared for the task. The purpose of this study was to describe science and engineering lead teachers' perspectives of the 2013 Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) at the elementary level with a focus on making connections to science content when teaching engineering design. The following focus question guided this study: How have experiences and interactions with NGSS affected teacher perceptions and instruction in elementary engineering? A sequential mixed-methods explanatory case study approach was used to analyze the research data from survey, interviews, and documents. Findings showed that engineering lead teachers were confident in their Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) knowledge, although they lacked concrete connections to science content during engineering design instruction. Major themes that arose include limited resources, lack of time for activities and limited external support in elementary science. In addition, teachers reiterated the need for continued professional development and support in NGSS learning in order to improve science instruction in schools and implementation of shifts in the new standards.