Browsing by Author "Ata-Akturk, A, Demircan, HO"

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An Analysis of Picture Books for Children Aged 3 to 6 Years: Portrayals of Engineers and the Engineering Design Process
(2021-12-01) Ata-Aktürk A., Demircan H.Ö.; Ata-Akturk, A, Demircan, HO
The potential of children’s picture books to provide knowledge to support STEM education is high. Engineering is a field about which children may have little awareness or understanding. Children’s picture books can be an important tool in introducing engineering to children. In this study, we investigate children’s picture books written in or translated into Turkish for 3–6-years-old children to address two major points: (a) how engineers are portrayed and (b) how the engineering design process is included. We examined the content of 691 picture books and identified 23 books, in accordance with specific criteria (e.g., identification through predefined keywords), relevant to engineers and engineering. Findings indicated that characters who think and work like engineers were often portrayed as male characters rather than females. While 21 of the 23 books sampled discussed the engineering design process, none of these books identified all the steps in such a process. Children’s picture books are important tool to introduce engineering to children. We recommend the publication of more engineering-centered picture books to provide children with information about engineers and the engineering design process, in support of STEM education. However, it is important that such books do not allow misunderstandings to emerge about the field of engineering in the creation of characters or the messages conveyed.
Engineers and engineering through the eyes of preschoolers: a phenomenographic study of children’s drawings
(2022-01-01) Ata-Aktürk A., Demircan H.Ö.; Ata-Akturk, A, Demircan, HO
This study aimed to explore how preschoolers perceive engineers and engineering by using their drawings. For this aim, phenomenography was used as a research approach. The data were collected using the draw-and-tell technique and through the drawing and explanation related parts of the Draw an Engineer Test. Totally, 436 preschool children from 16 different cities in Turkey were asked to draw an engineer and narrate their drawings. The data were analyzed using inductive content analysis. Findings indicated that some children did not reveal an understanding of engineer or engineering via their drawings (n = 50). A limited number of children (n = 17) had a perception of engineer parallel to the definition of the engineer in the literature. Most children (n = 199) tended to perceive engineering as a male-specific and physical work and represented engineers while working outdoors (n = 147); building structures or constructing machinery (n = 156). This research implies that preschoolers should have a higher amount of opportunity to explore engineering in everyday life with the empowerment of teachers, parents, and community members.
Supporting Preschool Children’s STEM Learning with Parent-Involved Early Engineering Education
(2021-07-01) Ata-Aktürk A., Demircan H.Ö.; Ata-Akturk, A, Demircan, HO
This study examines the development of a STEM-based (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and parent-involved engineering design curriculum for early childhood education and investigates its design principles and contributions to children’s STEM-related learning. This research utilized a design-based research methodology broken into three main phases (preliminary research, prototyping, and assessment). The data were gathered over a 2-year span, and the curriculum was designed and revised during the prototyping phase’s three iterative cycles. This paper presents the findings of a field test that involved two early childhood education teachers, five preschool children, and five parents. Findings validated eight key design principles of the curriculum and revealed that the curriculum contributes to the knowledge, skills, feelings, and dispositions children have towards STEM. The findings suggest that the developed curriculum can be used as a novel way of integrating STEM into early childhood education, with a particular focus on engineering, while encouraging parental involvement.