Exploring Design Failure in the Design Process: A Comparative Case Study of Young Engineering Students

Jessica Cellitti

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Conference: 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Publication Date: June 23, 2018
Start Date: June 23, 2018
End Date: July 27, 2018
Conference Session: Student Division Poster Session
Tagged Division: Student
Page Count: 2
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--30485
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/30485
Download Count: 441

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Paper Authors

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Jessica Cellitti Drexel University

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Jessica Cellitti is a Ph.D. candidate with research interests focusing on pre-college engineering in urban public schools. Before entering the Ph.D. program at Drexel, she taught math and science in grades K-12 in for 7 years. She designed STEM elective courses on topics ranging from civil engineering and astrobiology to robotics. Jessica has two bachelor’s degrees in Elementary/Special Education and Psychology as well as minors in Mathematics and Science. While teaching she also pursued a Masters degree in Science Education as well as a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction in STEM Education. Jessica is a NASA Endeavor Teaching Fellow and also a graduate of Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Academy.

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Abstract

While several variations of the design processes are used throughout K-8 engineering classrooms, the overall process encourages students to identify the problem, brainstorm possible solutions, design and build at least one of the solutions, test the solution, and continue throughout an iterative cycle of redesigning and retesting until the solution is successful. An inevitable component of this design process is the experience of design failure, which occurs “when a designed solution, or aspect of a designed solution, does not meet criteria under constraints as specified by the problem” (Lottero-Perdue, 2015, p. 2). One’s ability to persist and learn from failure has been recognized throughout policy documents (NGSS Lead States, 2013) and research studies (Cunningham & Kelly, 2017) as an essential skill, or habit of mind, that successful engineers possess. However, when looking at societal views and the generalized school view of the word “failure,” there tends to be negative connotations and teachers typically associate failure with academic expectations or abilities (Lottero-Perdue, & Parry, 2017). Individual’s associations with the word “failure” are highly contextualized and can range from productive and positive to non-productive and negative. Arguing that failure is central to the engineering design process and one’s ability to persist in the face of failure is a necessary prerequisite for future engineers (Petroski, 2012), it is essential for young engineering students to view design failure in a productive and positive way. A central part engineering problem-solving is experiencing struggle, or uncomfortable moments where a designed solution is not working as it was intended. This study examines what these experiences look like for young engineering students, including how they react, and the strategies they use to persist (or not) through failure. This qualitative dissertation study, which has been approved for data collection, employs a comparative case study design in order to gain insight into how elementary engineering students experience design failure. More specifically, this dissertation looks to answer the following research questions: 1. What are design failure experiences in elementary engineering contexts? 2. In what ways do elementary engineering students react to design failure? 3. What are the coping strategies students use during and after design failure experiences that lead them to persist or not persist through failure? Since this dissertation study has passed the proposal stage, the poster will focus on background literature, the theoretical framework, the research design, data collection plans, as well as future research plans.

Citation
Format

Cellitti, J. (2018, June), Exploring Design Failure in the Design Process: A Comparative Case Study of Young Engineering Students Paper presented at 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--30485

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - While several variations of the design processes are used throughout K-8 engineering
classrooms, the overall process encourages students to identify the problem, brainstorm possible
solutions, design and build at least one of the solutions, test the solution, and continue throughout
an iterative cycle of redesigning and retesting until the solution is successful. An inevitable
component of this design process is the experience of design failure, which occurs “when a
designed solution, or aspect of a designed solution, does not meet criteria under constraints as
specified by the problem” (Lottero-Perdue, 2015, p. 2). One’s ability to persist and learn from
failure has been recognized throughout policy documents (NGSS Lead States, 2013) and
research studies (Cunningham &amp; Kelly, 2017) as an essential skill, or habit of mind, that
successful engineers possess. However, when looking at societal views and the generalized
school view of the word “failure,” there tends to be negative connotations and teachers typically
associate failure with academic expectations or abilities (Lottero-Perdue, &amp; Parry, 2017).
Individual’s associations with the word “failure” are highly contextualized and can range
from productive and positive to non-productive and negative. Arguing that failure is central to
the engineering design process and one’s ability to persist in the face of failure is a necessary
prerequisite for future engineers (Petroski, 2012), it is essential for young engineering students to
view design failure in a productive and positive way. A central part engineering problem-solving
is experiencing struggle, or uncomfortable moments where a designed solution is not working as
it was intended. This study examines what these experiences look like for young engineering
students, including how they react, and the strategies they use to persist (or not) through failure.
This qualitative dissertation study, which has been approved for data collection, employs
a comparative case study design in order to gain insight into how elementary engineering
students experience design failure. More specifically, this dissertation looks to answer the
following research questions:
1. What are design failure experiences in elementary engineering contexts?
2. In what ways do elementary engineering students react to design failure?
3. What are the coping strategies students use during and after design failure experiences
that lead them to persist or not persist through failure?
Since this dissertation study has passed the proposal stage, the poster will focus on background
literature, the theoretical framework, the research design, data collection plans, as well as future
research plans.
AU  - Jessica Cellitti
CY  - Salt Lake City, Utah
DA  - 2018/06/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Exploring Design Failure in the Design Process: A Comparative Case Study of Young Engineering Students
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/30485
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--30485
ER  -