Conference Session

Standards Based Approaches to K -12 Engineering

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kazem Kazerounian, University of Connecticut; David M. Moss, University of Connecticut; David Giblin, University of Connecticut; Elias Faraclas, University of Connecticut; Cathi Koehler, University of Connecticut

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

atechnically literate society. Reform documents such as Science for All Americans: Project 2061[1] , Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy [2] and the National Science Education Standards [NSES][3] include sections titled, Science and Technology and The Nature of Technology, as a means tofoster technical literacy for students in grades K-12. In NSES, the goal of the Science andTechnology content standard is for all students to develop “abilities of technological design andunderstanding about science and technology.” These reform documents have been theframework to foster science, technical and engineering literacy for students in grades K-12across the United States as guided by their state science frameworks, however are statesachieving this goal

Conference Session

Promoting Scientific and Technological Literacy

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lisa Ncube, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

of performance indicators, and scientifically-based research onhelping students meet PLTW’s high academic achievement standards. Upon completion of theevaluation project administrators will be able to use metrics an evaluation findings forcontinuous improvement of the project within Indiana and for broader dissemination of Page 11.1020.3promising practices, and for the general information of the public.Short and long terms goals of the evaluation include: 1. Understanding how PLTW programs are implemented and structured, as a means of identifying ways to increase the effectiveness of the PLTW programs in Indiana and

Conference Session

Promoting Scientific and Technological Literacy

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Suzanne Soled, University of Cincinnati; Patricia McNerney, University of Cincinnati; Laura Koehl, University of Cincinnati; Kelly Obarski, University of Cincinnati; Anant Kukreti, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

education by creating opportunities for partnerships withK-12 schools in a manner mutually beneficial to faculty, teachers, and students alike.This increased interaction between higher education and local schools providesprofessional development opportunities for teachers, enriched scientific learning by theirstudents, and strengthens possible lifelong partnerships between universities and schools(http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5472).Through participation in a NSF Fellowship, the Fellows are expected to improvecommunication skills, teaching proficiency, team building skills, and expand theirinterest in humanitarian efforts in their perspective communities 1-2. It is up to thePrincipal Investigators and the community of educators to

Conference Session

Engineering in High School

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Meetu Walia, Polytechnic University; EDWIN YU, Polytechnic University; Vikram Kapila, Polytechnic University; Magued Iskander, Polytechnic University; Noel Kriftcher, Polytechnic University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

Sensors in High School Living Environment Labs: A GK-12 Project1. Introduction In a series of recent op-ed pieces in The New York Times and in his latest book The WorldIs Flat,1 Thomas Friedman points to an urgent need to develop a strong and technologicallytrained workforce to ensure the American leadership in scientific discovery and technologicalinnovation. This call to action has been joined by business and government advisory groups suchas the American Electronics Association,2 the National Innovation Initiative,3 and the NationalAcademy of Engineering;4 and reflected in the remarks delivered by industry captains such asBill Gates at the 2005 National Education Summit on High Schools.5 In a recent letter6 to

Conference Session

Programs for High School Students

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

June Marshall, St. Joseph's College; John Marshall, University of Southern Maine

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

even growth into a greater geographical area.Institutions seeking higher student enrollments in technical degree paths may wish toconsider replicating this simple and exciting programmable logic controller module. Thisstrong recruiting tool has provided us a pipeline of talented new students into theuniversity program.Working Towards a Diverse PopulationAttracting a diverse student population has traditional been a difficult task for theUniversity of Southern Maine. Based on 2004/2005 statistics 1, 95.4 % of theUniversity’s student population was “White/Non-Hispanic”. In an effort to increase ourtotal enrollments and also address our lack of racial diversity, we found a very“reachable” population in the local public schools. The public school

Conference Session

Assessing K - 12 Engineering Education Programs

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Laura Bottomley, North Carolina State University; Karen Hollebrands, North Carolina State University; Elizabeth Parry, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

to solve the problems and thencomment on whether they felt prepared by their high school mathematics courses to answerquestions like those asked. The questions asked were:Objective 2.02: Use quadratic functions and inequalities to model and solve problems; justifyresults. 1. The shape and thickness of a contact lens depends on the vision and correction that is needed. The intersection of the following inequalities describes a typical contact lens cross section. (x and y are measured in millimeters.) Sketch the region. How wide is the contact lens? How thick is it? y ≤ −0.065 x 2 + 2.34 y ≥ −0.055 x 2 + 1.98(Problem from Larson

Conference Session

Promoting Scientific and Technological Literacy

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Scott Douglas, Southern Methodist University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

engineering. The curriculum consists of (1) a course text, (2)integrated laboratory exercises with real-time signal processing hardware, (3) summerteacher training institutes, and (4) a web community portal for information sharing(www.infinity-project.org). Started in 1999, the Infinity Project is in over 150 highschools across twenty-five states and is garnering some interest in other countries acrossthe world as an innovative educational intervention to promote and increase awareness ofengineering and technology education in young people today.While careful assessment and tracking of pre-college student populations on a large scaleis challenging – see the comments in Section 4 of this paper – the Infinity Project attractsboth students and teachers

Conference Session

Approaches to K -12 Engineering

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carolyn Vallas, University of Virginia; Larry Richards, University of Virginia; Anaïs Miodek, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

Introduction to Engineering: An OverviewStudies have long shown the importance of introducing students to the exciting potential ofengineering at an early age, especially those groups that continue to be underrepresented inengineering (women, African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans).1, 2 A student’seventual recruitment to an academic track or career in engineering is largely dependent on thestudent having developed positive associations with the field during or prior to high-school. 3This can be difficult since opportunities to experience the exciting aspects of applied engineeringthrough interactive design projects are not always included in middle and high-school curriculumin the United States.4The Introduction to Engineering program (ITE

Conference Session

Ensuring Access to K - 12 Engineering Programs

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tremayne Waller, Virginia Tech; Sharnnia Artis, Virginia Tech; Bevlee Watford, Virginia Tech; Tasha Zephirin, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers(NSBE) and the College of Engineering’s Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity(CEED). The objectives of this paper are two-fold: 1) to describe the structure andimplementation of the pre-college program, and 2) to discuss the impact of the pre-collegeprogram on the student participants. Since 1999, approximately 500 students have participatedin the pre-college program. Phone interviews were conducted to collect data on theseparticipants. The results of these phone interviews provided data on the number of participantswho have completed high school, enrolled in college, pursued an engineering degree, graduatedfrom college, and pursued a graduate degree. In conclusion, this paper

Conference Session

Approaches to K -12 Engineering

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Leslie Wilkins, Maui Economic Development Board

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

from which they are drawn. In addition, efforts are undertaken to involveyounger students in the hopes of having an earlier impact on career choice. This paper discussesthe collaboration between industry and educators, provides suggestions for starting industry-based career outreach programs, and offers strategies for attracting girls and underrepresentedstudents to such a program.1 The Women in Technology Project, funded in part by the U.S. Department of Labor, is a project of the Maui Page 11.297.2Economic Development Board, Inc. in partnership with Hawaii Island Economic Development Board, Inc.IntroductionThe Women in Technology

Conference Session

Gender and Accessibility Issues in K-12 Engineering Education

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Klenk, Duke University; Frank Dreher, Duke University; Emilie Condon, Githens Middle School; Gary Ybarra, Duke University; Lara Oliver, Duke University; Glenda Kelly, Duke University; Nancy Shaw, Duke University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

floor by your feet,’ they were certainly able to point to that place and convey that they knew the correct answer.”Table 1 shows some of the terms determined to be content obligatory for this case study and thesimplified definitions used with the ESL students. These are simplified because the students Page 12.265.6needed to understand not only the vocabulary, but the words in the definitions as well. Forinstance, initially, we talked about water or current flowing, but some students did notunderstand the word “flow.” Instead, we simplified the definition by using the word move.Alligator clip was a vocabulary word added in the middle of

Conference Session

Gender and Accessibility Issues in K-12 Engineering Education

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephen Krause, Arizona State University; Veronica Burrows, Arizona State University; Judy Sutor, Arizona State University; Marilyn Carlson, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

: 1) Functions and Modeling (Spring 2005 and 2006); 2) ConnectingChemistry, Physics and Mathematics (Fall 2005 and 2006); 3) Connecting Biology, Geology andMathematics (Spring 2006 and 2007); and 4) Integrating Mathematics, Science and Engineering(Fall 2006 and 2007). Each course is being taught to high school science and math teachers from Page 12.804.3the four school districts with classes of 8 to 25 participants. Courses are taught on-site in eachdistrict once a week for 3 hours in late afternoon. The composition of teachers is about 55%mathematics, 25% biology and the remaining 20% chemistry and physics. The modules for eachcourse have

Conference Session

K-12 Engineering and Pre-College Outreach Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Eugene Rutz, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

andtechnology to students.The collaborators began an investigative phase of the project to identify and evaluate materialsand curricula that were currently available and used by similar schools. In addition to disciplinespecific resources, the materials reviewed included:Project Lead the Way 4Tools of Discovery 5Teach Engineering 6Engineering Your Future 7Imagine 101 8Scientific and Technical Visualization 9The Infinity Project 10The review team was pleased to discover the significant diversity in resources to facilitate thenew program. The collaborators refined their review to identify the most appropriate materialgiven the following considerations: 1. Could be taught without significant, additional classroom materials 2. Would not require

Conference Session

Gender and Accessibility Issues in K-12 Engineering Education

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Linda Hirsch, New Jersey Institute of Technology; John Carpinelli, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Howard Kimmel, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Ronald Rockland, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Joel Bloom, New Jersey Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

program. Repeated measures analysis of variance techniques were usedto examine students’ responses and test for 1) significant increases in students’ attitudes towardscience, mathematics and engineering and their knowledge about careers in engineering from thebeginning to the end of the program, 2) significant differences in attitude and knowledgebetween boys and girls, and 3) significant difference between the girls in the single-genderFEMME programs and the girls who attended the other mixed-gender programs.IntroductionCurrent trends in the supply of and need for engineers in the workforce portend a significantshortfall of qualified engineering practitioners in the not too distant future. Although demand forengineers is expected to increase

Conference Session

Enhancing K-12 Mathematics Education with Engineering

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Pelletier, Northern Essex Community College; Paul Chanley, Northern Essex Community College

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

, Page 12.334.2• Providing opportunities for high school and college teachers to work together to smooth student transition from high school to college.During the 2005-2006 academic year, PowerUp contracted with the Computer Engineering andTechnology department at Northern Essex Community College (NECC) to develop a 45-hour, 3-graduate-credit, professional development course for local teachers. Using research-based ideasfor teaching pre-college mathematics contained in an article by James Stone in CONNECTIONSEXTRA!1, the newsletter of the National Tech Prep Network, NECC developed a course calledBuilding Math Skills in Context: Integrating Math with Engineering and Technology. Onetheme used in developing the course was "contextualized

Conference Session

Engineering in High Schools

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sibel Uysal, Arizona State University; Sharon Kurpius-Robinson, Arizona State University; Dale Baker, Arizona State University; Stephen Krause, Arizona State University; Chell Roberts, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

videotaped during the teaching process.These included: 1) the role of females in engineering; 2) a presentation of how engineeringaffects society, 3) teaching the iterative design process and design problem solving, 4) theapplication and use of modeling tools such as calculus and Excel spreadsheets in engineering, 5)configuration of teams and 6) career information. Using these findings, a classroom observationinstrument was developed. Each item of the rubric was related to Sociocultural Theory. Theinteraction of the students with on another, with the guest speakers and with the teacher helpedidentify these class features.Development of a RubricThemes emerged from the data that had been collected that were used to develop the rubric.Based on our

Conference Session

Pre-Service Development Initiatives

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daniel Tillman, The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

related activities using digital fabrication impacted (1) preservice elementaryteachers' efficacy beliefs about teaching science, and (2) their attitudes and understandingof effective approaches to integrating technology and digital fabrication into teachingscience. The research compared two intervention sections integrating digital fabricationactivities, with a third section without digital fabrication activities. Data collected foranalysis included the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument and the preserviceelementary teachers' answers to open-response questions about technologies they plan touse in their subsequent teaching. The results indicated the importance of: (1) additionalcollaboration from educators interested in creating more

Conference Session

It's Elementary

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chrissy Hobson Foster, Arizona State University; Jenefer Husman, Arizona State University; Christine Mendoza

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

taught engineering in his classroomprior to this research project. During both iterations, the science classroom had 24 fourth gradestudents. The instruction was tailored to the widely used BSCS 5E model of instruction (whichtailors instruction to the following phases: engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate) toaccommodate the school district’s request to teach engineering design and modeling within thisframe13.Iteration 1 In Spring 2012, a solar engineering design challenge was introduced in the fourth gradeclassroom. A researcher from the Quantum Energy and Sustainable Solar Technologies (QESST)worked alongside the fourth grade educator to provide in-classroom professional development toteach the engineering design challenge

Conference Session

K-12 Professional Development I

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Debra Kay Gallagher, Ohio Northern University; Kenneth Reid, Ohio Northern University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

development is needed to raise academic standards and enhance teachers’knowledge in subject matter and teaching strategies8. Teachers need to deepen their contentknowledge and pedagogical skills in order to keep up with these new requirements8 and well-structured professional development can provide the opportunity for this to happen.Although numerous opportunities to attend professional development sessions are available,many barriers exist that prevent teachers from engaging in these activities. These barriersinclude but are not limited to:1) fragmented and insufficient time to engage in professional development due to family, work, or social commitments 1,11,2) the high cost of professional development to the teacher and to the school

Conference Session

...by Design

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Pat Ko, University of Texas, Austin; Stephanie Baker Peacock, The University of Texas - Austin; Taylor Martin, Utah State University; Jennifer Rudolph; Noel Hector Ramos, Department of Defense Dependent Schools

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

education needs to teach for this.Teaching for Adaptive ExpertiseHatano (1988) lists three conditions that he believes help motivate the development of adaptiveexpertise, instead of just routine, expertise: 1. Students are frequently exposed to “novel” problems, i.e. problems that they are not familiar with and require them to ponder instead of simply following a procedure already known by the student. 2. Seeking comprehension is encouraged instead of just execution. Page 23.612.3 3. Students are not under intense pressure for external reinforcement, such as producing correct

Conference Session

K-12 and Pre-College Engineering Poster Session

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rebecca Arielle Citrin, Lafayette College; Arthur D. Kney, Lafayette College

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

written explanation as to why they chose an answer, the data can be analyzed morecritically to ensure students are not only repeating material learned through the game, but canunderstand the importance and applications of this information presented.1 Page 23.629.3During the initial assessment, students will be asked to complete a Personal Meaning Map basedon a certain word or phrase presented, such as the Environment, and will be asked to illustratewith words, phrases or images what they know about this topic. During the post assessment,students will be given their original PMM and will be asked to modify their drawing, using adifferent color

Conference Session

Starting Them Early

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Monica E Cardella, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Gina Navoa Svarovsky, Science Museum of Minnesota; Brianna L Dorie, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

, Zdanna Tranby2 & Scott Van Cleave2 1 Purdue University, 2 Science Museum of MinnesotaAbstractExploring the gender differences in how children develop early interest and understanding inengineering can provide useful information for the ongoing efforts to address the low numbers ofwomen who pursue engineering careers. By the time girls reach middle school, they are alreadymuch less likely to be interested in STEM careers than boys are, especially for fields that aremath-intensive such as physics and engineering. This lack of interest has been connected to anarrow and often inaccurate view of the engineering profession and the perceived misalignmentbetween what engineers do and what girls value in future

Conference Session

Outreach to K-12 Females

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christina Kay White, University of Texas, Austin; Richard H. Crawford, University of Texas, Austin; Austin Bates Talley, University of Texas, Austin; Anthony J Petrosino Jr, The University of Texas at Austin ; Kristen Bland, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

. Dr. Crawford’s research interests span topics in computer-aided mechanical design and design theory and methodology, including: (1) research in computer representations to support con- ceptual design, design for manufacture and assembly, and design retrieval; (2) developing computational representations and tools to support exploration of very complex engineering design spaces; (3) research in solid free-form fabrication, including geometric processing, control, design tools, manufacturing ap- plications; and (4) design and development of energy harvesting systems. Dr. Crawford is co-founder of the DTEACh program, a ”Design Technology” program for K-12, and is active on the faculty of the UTeachEngineering program

Conference Session

...by Design

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tanner J Huffman, Purdue University; Nathan Mentzer, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Kurt Henry Becker, Utah State University - Engineering Education

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

Bank, World Bank, and U.S. Department of Labor, USAID. Countries where he has worked include Armenia, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, China, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, and Thailand. He is currently a consultant on a USAID funded project that involves workforce development and enterprise competitiveness. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in the department. Page 23.662.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2013 High School Student Modeling Behaviors During Engineering Design  RationaleMathematical modeling is an essential practice of engineering design 1-6. Students

Conference Session

...by Design

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amy Wilson-Lopez, Utah State University - Teacher Education and Leadership; Emma R. Smith, Utah State University; Daniel L Householder, Utah State University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

. Page 23.663.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2013 SOLVING AUTHENTIC PROBLEMS THROUGH DESIGN PROCESSES 1 High School Students’ Cognitive Activity While Solving Authentic Problems through Engineering Design Processes AbstractThis exploratory multiple case study describes the cognitive activity of two groups ofadolescents as they used engineering design processes to address authentic challenges. Thesechallenges were ‘authentic’ in the sense that they aligned with the students’ interests, were ill-structured, and met the needs of actual clients. The following data were collected in

Conference Session

Secondary (6-12) Outreach

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ibrahim F. Zeid, Northeastern University; Jessica Chin, Northeastern University; Sagar V. Kamarthi, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

improve STEM education and increase student interest have often reverted back toknown teaching methods like T4E (Teaching Teachings to Teach Engineering) and well-known problem-based learning (PBL) [1, 2]. However, the effectiveness of these methods lies in changing teachers’current pedagogies rather than modifying the actual content of how teachers teach. To help address thissituation, we have designed a method to educate teachers in a two-week professional developmentworkshop [3, 4]. Teachers learn how to properly integrate engineering techniques to modify their currentteaching content. We make a case that the integration of particular engineering methods in STEMclassrooms can make an impact and change the way students perceive STEM

Conference Session

RET Initiatives

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Zornitsa Georgieva, West Virginia University; Reagan Curtis, West Virginia University; Tyler A Saenz Saenz, West Virginia University; Miracle David Solley, West Virginia University; Darran Cairns, West Virginia University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

c American Society for Engineering Education, 2013 Impact of Research Experience for Teachers with International and Societally Relevant ComponentsIntroductionWe sought to bridge the divide for teachers and their students between secondary science andmathematics content, on one hand, and the engineering of solutions to real-world societally-relevant problems, on the other hand. The expected outcomes for the Research Experience forTeachers: Energy and the Environment project* (RET) included: 1. Teacher knowledge and attitudes toward science and engineering will improve as a result of participating in ongoing engineering research projects for six weeks during the summer and

Conference Session

Outreach Along the K-12 Pathways to Engineering

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Janet L. Yowell, University of Colorado Boulder; Malinda S Zarske, University of Colorado, Boulder; Daniel Knight, University of Colorado, Boulder; Jacquelyn F. Sullivan, University of Colorado, Boulder

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

,volunteering their time for students who are traditionally underrepresented in the field ofengineering—low-income youth, children of color and girls.The TEAMS Clubs serve as added enrichment for students at six of the nine schools, in thatthose schools are also associated with CU-Boulder’s NSF-funded GK-12 Program, wherein 5thgrade students also engage in concurrent 1-2x per/semester multi-week engineering projectsprovided through an in-class engineering education program that is instructed by PhDengineering students. However, we suspected that even though six of the schools have theadditional GK-12 influence, the three schools that do not would have similar gains in their

Conference Session

Research Initiatives

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daniel Tillman, The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

. Ethnic and gender breakdowns were similar for each group andspecific demographic information can be found in Table 1.Teachers. Sixteen Parallax teachers and 15 control teachers participated. All teachers werefemale. Demographics of the teachers can be found in Table 2.Table 1Demographics of Parallax and Control School Students Control (%) Intervention (%) Entire Group (%)Male 53.1 47.7 50.9White 63.5 59.5 62.8Black 20.2 21.6 22.4Hispanic 12.6 11.8 12.1Qualify for 66.1 62.8 65.4Lunch

Conference Session

Curriculum Development

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gabriella J Ducamp, University of Virginia; Crystal Jean DeJaegher, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

classes. However, one studentwas absent throughout, and four either missed the pre- or post-test administration of the STEMSemantics Survey, so their data was not analyzed. All participating students (n=57) were 13-14years old. Classes were indirectly tracked by ability, because advanced and remedial LanguageArts and Math classes impact enrollment in these science classes. Therefore, section 1 tended tohave advanced students (n=23), while sections 2 (n=17) and 3 (n=17) had balanced and remedialpopulations, respectively. The classes were at a suburban school in a small Mid-Atlantic city.33 males and 24 females participated.Research Design Students participated in a science unit on electricity, taught by their normal instructor,and