Assessing elementary school students' conceptions of engineering and technology

The assessment of elementary school students' conceptions of engineering and technology through a survey was discussed. An instrument to measure students' conceptions of technology was created and the technology table also contained 16 images and descriptions and asked students to circle those items that were technology. The final items included shoes, subway, bridge, television, parrot, factory, cup, house, power lines, bicycle, and books. Over half of the students indicated that they thought engineers repair cars, install wiring, drive machines, construct buildings, while fewer students thought the engineers supervised construction, designed things, and worked as a team.