ArticlePublisher preview available

The ethical implications of collecting data in educational settings: discussion on the technology and engineering attitude scale (TEAS) and its psychometric validation for assessing a pre-engineering design program

Springer Nature
International Journal of Technology and Design Education
Authors:
Constanza Miranda at Johns Hopkins University
Constanza Miranda
Julian Goñi at Pontifical Catholic University of Chile
Julian Goñi
Astrid Pickenpack at University of Pennsylvania
Astrid Pickenpack
Trinidad Sotomayor at Pontifical Catholic University of Chile
Trinidad Sotomayor
Read publisher preview
Download citation
To read the full-text of this research, you can request a copy directly from the authors.

Abstract and Figures

K-12 Engineering Education has placed a lot of attention on students’ attitudes or predispositions towards science and technology. However, most assessment methods are focused on STEM as a whole or only on technology. In this article, we will discuss the instrument called Technology and Engineering Attitude Scale (TEAS) which focuses on attitudes towards technology. Previous studies and applications of this particular scale lacked proper statistical validation of the instrument. The following research looks at the application of an adapted version of the TEAS to assess a GEDC awarded pre-engineering design program in Chile. This version was psychometrically analyzed in 436 cases to validate the interpretations driven by a particular cultural context and specific to the discipline of engineering. The article focuses on the modifications applied to the instrument after the statistical validity process. The discussion is centered on the ethical importance of adapting an existing scale in a valid and reliable way to assess a pre-engineering design program in a local context. Lessons learned and recommendations for future research in this area are proposed based on this particular experience.
Figures - available from: International Journal of Technology and Design Education
This content is subject to copyright. Terms and conditions apply.
A preview of this full-text is provided by Springer Nature.
Learn more
Content available from International Journal of Technology and Design Education 
This content is subject to copyright. Terms and conditions apply.
Vol.:(0123456789)
International Journal of Technology and Design Education (2022) 32:1495–1513
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-021-09653-x
1 3
The ethical implications ofcollecting data ineducational
settings: discussion onthetechnology andengineering
attitude scale (TEAS) andits psychometric validation
forassessing apre‑engineering design program
ConstanzaMiranda1,2 · JulianGoñi1· AstridPickenpack1· TrinidadSotomayor1
Accepted: 28 January 2021 / Published online: 24 February 2021
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. part of Springer Nature 2021
Abstract
K-12 Engineering Education has placed a lot of attention on students’ attitudes or predis-
positions towards science and technology. However, most assessment methods are focused
on STEM as a whole or only on technology. In this article, we will discuss the instru-
ment called Technology and Engineering Attitude Scale (TEAS) which focuses on atti-
tudes towards technology. Previous studies and applications of this particular scale lacked
proper statistical validation of the instrument. The following research looks at the applica-
tion of an adapted version of the TEAS to assess a GEDC awarded pre-engineering design
program in Chile. This version was psychometrically analyzed in 436 cases to validate the
interpretations driven by a particular cultural context and specific to the discipline of engi-
neering. The article focuses on the modifications applied to the instrument after the statisti-
cal validity process. The discussion is centered on the ethical importance of adapting an
existing scale in a valid and reliable way to assess a pre-engineering design program in
a local context. Lessons learned and recommendations for future research in this area are
proposed based on this particular experience.
Keywords Attitudes towards engineering· Pre-engineering education· Technology and
engineering attitudes scale· Research ethics· Engineering design education
Introduction
Attitudes and perceptions are one of the main research topics in K-12 engineering edu-
cation (Hynes etal. 2017). Perception, as a topic of qualitative research, is conceived as
a set of lenses that shape the individual’s subjective reality (Given 2008). Perceptions
are constructed through different sources; “from perspectives of location, subjectivity,
* Constanza Miranda
constanza.miranda@gmail.com
1 DILAB School ofEngineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
2 Department ofBiomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore,
MD21218, USA
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any citations for this publication.
Perceptions and attitudes of pupils towards technology: In search of a rigorous theoretical framework
Article
Full-text available
The perceptions and attitudes of pupils towards technology have been researched for just over three decades. Recently, following an extensive review of the available literature, Ankiewicz (in: De Vries (ed) Handbook of technology education, Springer International Handbooks of Education, 2016. https ://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-38889-2_43-1) provided an overview of the current state of research, in a chapter in the Springer Handbook of Technology Education. However, due to length restrictions the chapter had to be concise and thus focused primarily on the mainstream instruments and their derivatives. More detailed descriptions of the perceptions and attitudes of students as well as discussions of unconventional and non-related instruments therefore had to be omitted. Consequently, the purpose of this article is to extend the chapter concerned by providing a more extensive and nuanced review of the total substantive body of knowledge that has been generated in just over three decades. The following research question underpinned the literature review: How may the existing research and subsequent findings be systematised into a more rigorous theoretical framework that may assist scholars in navigating their way through the current research on the perceptions and attitudes of students towards technology? In addition to the previous findings made and conclusions drawn in the chapter, it was found that such a theoretical framework should be informed by the following guiding insights: viewpoints concerning the construct of attitudes towards technology, as well as measuring such attitudes; the mainstream instruments in The Pupils’ Attitudes Towards Technology (PATT) studies and their derivatives, as well as problematic aspects associated with these; unconventional, PATT-related instruments; new, non-related instruments for ascertaining students’ attitudes and concepts; the general research findings on students’ attitudes; means that may positively develop students’ attitudes; and unidimensional versus multidimensional studies studying the effect of all characteristics or determinants of all aspects of learners’ attitudes. Such a rigorous theoretical framework may serve as a valuable resource for future researchers embarking on this area of research, as it provides a synopsis that may assist in enhancing an understanding of research that has been done and work that needs to be done in order to contribute to developing new knowledge in the field of design, technology, and engineering education. It also indicates gaps in this research area, notably in researching the behavioural component of attitudes.
View
Validity and Reliability of the Research Instrument; How to Test the Validation of a Questionnaire/Survey in a Research
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2016
Questionnaire is one of the most widely used tools to collect data in especially social science research. The main objective of questionnaire in research is to obtain relevant information in most reliable and valid manner. Thus the accuracy and consistency of survey/questionnaire forms a significant aspect of research methodology which are known as validity and reliability. Often new researchers are confused with selection and conducting of proper validity type to test their research instrument (questionnaire/survey). This review article explores and describes the validity and reliability of a questionnaire/survey and also discusses various forms of validity and reliability tests.
View
Engineering attitudes: an investigation of the effect of literature on student attitudes toward engineering
Article
Full-text available
The growth of STEM career occupations is outpacing the college enrollment of STEM students in the United States. There have been many research projects investigating this issue. There has not however been a study which investigated the impact non-fiction literature has on student interest in studying STEM (specifically engineering) content. The purpose of this study was to investigate the change of student attitudes toward engineering after reading literature involving non-fiction engineering centric narratives. The study used a modified version of the PATT (Pupils Attitudes Towards Technology) called the TEAS (Technology and Engineering Attitudes Scale) to measure student attitude change. The students were high-school aged students in the United States (ages: 15–17) who were enrolled in an English Literature course. The students completed the TEAS before and after reading and studying two engineering and technology centric non-fiction books (The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind and October Sky). The data revealed that student attitude after reading and studying the two books did not statistically change.
View
Perceptions and Attitudes of Pupils Toward Technology
Chapter
Full-text available
  • Jun 2017
Students' technological concepts and attitudes have been researched for just over three decades. The chapter addresses several viewpoints concerning the construct of attitudes toward technology, such as definitions of attitude, and fundamental reasons for measuring students' attitudes. The main part of the chapter presents the Pupils' Attitudes Toward Technology-Netherlands (PATT-NL) instrument and the PATT-USA instrument associated with the classical PATT studies, as well as the PATT Short Questionnaire (PATT-SQ) as a recent adaptation of PATT-USA. It also focuses on new instruments, such as the Attitudinal Technology Profile (ATP) questionnaire that were developed based on regional and contextual factors. The latter part of the chapter provides general research findings from the PATT studies on students' attitudes toward technology, as well as examples of recent multidimensional versus unidimensional studies.
View
Systematic review of research in p-12 engineering education from 2000-2015
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2017
Nations throughout the world have recognized the importance of having a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) competent workforce in today's highly competitive and technical economy. As such, the past fifteen years have seen a sharp rise in introducing pre-college (P-12) students to engineering and engaging them in learning engineering principles. Policy decisions to include engineering in national curriculum and standards have not been informed by as rich a body of research as subjects such as mathematics and science; however, research on P-12 engineering education is on the rise. This paper presents a systematic review of the engineering education research in P-12 published in journals from 2000-2015.Asystematic review follows a set of replicable, detailed procedures that describe how the articles were selected, reviewed, and analysed. The results of this review included 218 peer-reviewed journal articles. The paper details the kinds of research and research questions these papers focused on, and synthesizes and discusses findings of across different topics, and proposes research topics ripe for further work.
View
View
Building Readiness and Intention Towards STEM Fields of Study: Using HSLS:09 and SEM to Examine This Complex Process among High School Students
Article
  • Jun 2020
  • J HIGH EDUC
Building on Social Cognitive Career Theory and Xueli Wang's conceptual model of STEM choice, this study advances and tests a model seeking to understand STEM readiness and intention to pursue STEM fields among a representative national sample of 9th grade students drawn from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009. Structural equation model results suggest several contextual influences (e.g., personal characteristics) and social-cognitive variables (e.g., math and science self-efficacy) contributing to building STEM readiness and students’ intention to major in STEM during high school. In general, STEM readiness is impacted directly by SES, math ability, parental involvement, math self-efficacy, science self-efficacy, math interest, and science interest. Intention to major in STEM is directly impacted by STEM readiness, as well as high school students’ interest in math and interest in science. Overall, this study expands our knowledge of the process that leads high school students to become prepared for and aspire to pursue majors in STEM.
View
Use Omega Rather than Cronbach’s Alpha for Estimating Reliability. But…
Article
  • Feb 2020
Cronbach’s alpha (α) is a widely-used measure of reliability used to quantify the amount of random measurement error that exists in a sum score or average generated by a multi-item measurement scale. Yet methodologists have warned that α is not an optimal measure of reliability relative to its more general form, McDonald’s omega ( ω). Among other reasons, that the computation of ω is not available as an option in many popular statistics programs and requires items loadings from a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) have probably hindered more widespread adoption. After a bit of discussion of α versus ω, we illustrate the computation of ω using two structural equation modeling programs (Mplus and AMOS) and the MBESS package for R. We then describe a macro for SPSS and SAS (OMEGA) that calculates ω in two ways without relying on the estimation of loadings or error variances using CFA. We show that it produces estimates of ω that are nearly identical to when using CFA-based estimates of item loadings and error variances. We also discuss the use of the OMEGA macro for certain forms of item analysis and brief form construction based on the removal of items from a longer scale.
View
What is engineering? Elaborating the nature of engineering for K-12 education: PLEASANTS and OLSON
Article
  • Oct 2018
What is engineering? What do engineers do? How is engineering related to, but distinct from, science? These questions all relate to the nature of engineering (NOE), and as engineering is incorporated into K‐12 education across the United States, the NOE is becoming increasingly important for students and teachers. While many policy documents call for students to learn more about the structure of the engineering discipline, little has been done to define the NOE construct. This paper presents key dimensions of the NOE via a framework synthesized from studies of the engineering discipline from philosophical, historical, and sociological perspectives, as well as perspectives from within the engineering field. The framework identifies and elaborates nine features of engineering, each of which capture an important aspect of the NOE. For teachers, these features serve as points of entry for discussing NOE ideas with students. For researchers, the features provide a set of constructs to guide future inquiries into teachers’ and students’ NOE knowledge.
View
Ethical Considerations for Data Collection Using Surveys
Article
  • Mar 2017
Surveys are widely used instruments to collect research data. Although surveys may appear relatively benign and easily unlinked to participants, considerations for the ethical conduct of research with surveys are important. Maintaining scientific rigor is essential. This article explores ethical tenets in relation to informed consent and scientific consent when using surveys.
View