Explorations in Technology Education Research

Dr David Barlex is an acknowledged leader in design & technology education, curriculum design and curriculum materials development. He taught at comprehensive schools for 15 years, achieving head of faculty positions in Science and Design & Technology before taking university positions in teacher education. He directed the Nuffield Design & Technology Project and was Educational Manager for Young Foresight. David is well known for his interest and expertise in developing curriculum materials that support pupil learning from a constructivist perspective. He uses this approach to develop young peoples’ ability to understand and critique the design decisions made by professional designers and those they make themselves in design & technology lessons. This informed the Nuffield Design & Technology publications, which have been widely used in the UK and since emulated abroad – in Russia, Sweden, Canada, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.Professor PJohn Williams is a Professor of Education and the Director of Graduate Research at the School of Education, Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia, where he teaches and supervises research students in STEM and technology education. Apart from Australia, he has worked and studied in a number of African and Indian Ocean countries, as well as New Zealand and the United States. His current research interests include STEM, mentoring beginning teachers, PCK and electronic assessment of performance. He regularly presents at international and national conferences, consults on Technology Education in a number of countries, and is a longstanding member of eight professional associations. He is the series editor of Springer’s Contemporary Issues in Technology Education and serves on the editorial board of six professional journals. He has authored or contributed to over 240 publications, and was elected to the International Technology and Engineering Education Association’s Academy of Fellows for his contributions to the profession.

• 1 Introduction.- Curriculum Content.- 2 Technology education in Saudi Arabia in comparison with New Zealand: Lessons for Technology Education Teachers.- 3 The localisation of technology education curriculum in Botswana.- 4 What children are supposed to learn in primary technology education.- 5 Secondary pupils' perceptions of their experiences of practical work in Technology and Design.- Stories of Technology.- 6 Technology landscapes in Children's Literature.- 7 Using narratives for communicating the nature of technology.- Planning and Pedagogy.- 8 Teachers' assessment practices.- 9 Approaches to planning that encourage creativity.- 10 Enhancing the teaching of problem solving in technology education.- 11 The influence of task difficulty on student engagement, performance and self-efficacy.- Cognition.- 12 Design cognition and student performance.- 13 Design cognition: Strategies for teachers in practice.- Girls and Technology.- 14 Practical approaches to increase girls' interest in technology education.- 15 Where are all the students?? Factors that encourage female participants in Technology Education.- Information Technology.- 16 Using technology to support discussion in Design and Technology.- 17 The impact of mobile devices on self directed learning and achievement.- 18 Synopsis.