Advances in Engineering Education - SUMMER 2012 - Exploration of NSF-ATE Projects Approaches in the Integration of Technology and Engineering Education at the K-12 levels

Oct 15, 2026

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Access to post-secondary education, especially within technical two-year institutions, is a growing national concern. NSF’s Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program funds initiatives and research to expand the pipeline of technicians and engineers while strengthening science, mathematics, and technological literacy among pre-college students. This study examined NSF-ATE projects with K-12 components, identifying 48% of 2009 spring-summer active awards and using mixed methods. Results highlight common goals, primarily informational activities, and evaluation-centered concerns.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time58 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Goals and Research Questions

Literature Review and Background

Advances in Engineering Education SUMMER 2012 Exploration of NSF-ATE Projects Approaches in the Integration of Technology and Engineering Education atthe K-12 levels JOHANNES STROBEL Purdue University West Lafayette, IN and NOEMI V. MENDOZA DIAZ Brazos School of Inquiry and Creativity Houston, TX ABSTRACT Access to post-secondary education, speciﬁcally in the technical, two-year institution area, is a topic of growing interest in the country. Funding agencies, such as NSF, via the Advanced Technological Education Program (ATE), are supporting initiatives and research aimed at increasing the number of technicians and engineers and improving science, mathematics performance, and technological literacy among pre-college populations. This study focused on projects and programs awarded under the NSF-ATE program. It aimed to understand their approaches to K-12 engineering and technology education. Forty eight percent of the 2009 spring-summer active awards with K-12 components were identiﬁed. Through a mixed-method design, 49 NSF-ATE award representatives responded to an online survey, and ﬁve were interviewed after their online responses were analyzed. Results show that “pathways to increase the number of engineers and technicians” was the most prevalent goal, that their activities were more informational than instructional, that and their concerns concentrated primarily on their evaluations. Keywords: NSF-ATE Program, two-year institutions, technological literacy INTRODUCTION American public policy has focused much attention on the lack of science and mathematics preparedness of K-12 level students. [1] It has also raised awareness about the disparity between the number of future engineers and technicians attracted to two-year and four-year colleges, as SUMMER 2012 1 ADVANCES IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION Exploration of NSF-ATE Projects Approaches in the Integration of Technology and Engineering Education at the K-12 levels well as the number of jobs available and projected in these areas. [2, 3] Additionally, some authors have emphasized the need to improve technological literacy for all citizens through technology and engineering education at the K-12 levels. [4, 5] Since October of 1992, the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program has funded centers of excellence and projects devoted to “establish a national advanced technician program, utilizing the resources of the Nation’s two-year associate-degree-granting colleges”. [6] According to NSF’s website, in the spring-summer of 2009, there were 261 active awards related to ATE. Many ATE Centers and Projects incorporate elements targeting K-12 schools. Objectives of these efforts range from enriching community college elementary education courses with technology and engineering [7] to increasing the number, quality, and diversity of teachers in the service area, especially in mathematics, science, and technology. [8] Because of the differences in the missions of ATE Centers and Projects, uniform instruments that assess their effectiveness in relation to those missions and how they integrate technology and engineering education at the K-12 levels are missing. Every year, Western Michigan University’s Evaluation Center conducts a survey that targets ATEPrincipal Investigators titled “ATE Survey”. [9] The survey collects program information related to background, articulation agreements, organizational practices, collaborations, materials development, professional development, and program improvement; all of these being important aspects of the ATE program. Twelve (12) of the 68 total questions in the survey are related to K-12, comprising only 17% of the survey. At the K-12 levels, the survey incorporates questions related to secondary education primarily in regards to articulation agreements, materials development, professional development, and program improvement. Additionally, K-12 level related questions are e

FAQs

What is the main focus of the study on NSF-ATE projects?

The study investigates how NSF-ATE awarded projects approach K-12 engineering and technology education and how effectiveness is perceived by representatives.

How was the research conducted and analyzed?

A mixed-method design used an online survey of 49 NSF-ATE award representatives, followed by five interviews after survey analysis.

What were the most common goals and activity characteristics reported?

The most prevalent goal was increasing the number of engineers and technicians, and activities were described as more informational than instructional, with concerns concentrated on evaluations.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Terk