Development of a new framework of Technology and Engineering Education by the Japan Society of Technology Education

Abstract

It is considered important to clarify the role of technology and engineering education for evolving STEM/STEAM education in each country. However, in Japan, unlike in other countries, the focus on STEAM education began after 2018, so the relevance of STEAM education to technology and engineering education has not yet been fully discussed. Therefore, the Japan Society of Technology Education (JSTE) tried to develop a new framework of technology and engineering education for promoting STEAM education in Japan prior to the revision of the National Curriculum. First, we conducted a survey on 1,656 Japanese junior high school students about the status of ‘Technology’ learning. As a result, it was shown that Japanese students have a positive attitude of ‘Technology’ classes. However, there is a lack of learning activities related exploring technology, and design problem-solving is not adequately linked to abilities for technological innovation and governance. From this, we developed a new framework focused on enhancing exploratory activities and problem-solving related to engineering. The framework included the Triple-Loop Model as the engineering design process, the connections between physical and cyber technologies within that scope, and the learning model of STEAM education that centred on the engineering design process with various connections among all subject areas. Lastly, we conducted a survey to evaluate the new framework on JSTE members (four-point scale, agreement rating). As a result, many received mean value of 3.00 or higher, showing that the participants agreed with the proposals. However, the concept of the term ‘Engineering’ (2.78) had a mean value of less than 3.00 and a larger SD than the others. Therefore, in the last version the concept of the term ‘Engineering’ was revised, and the framework was completed.