Engineering has been introduced as a subject area in schools all over the world during the last decades. The purpose and contents vary slightly, but are commonly based on an engineering design process – on methods for systematic problem solving and product development. Skills learnt during this work is thought to be transferable to everyday life, future careers, and other educational areas. Pre-university engineering education should also increase pupils’ interest in technology, science and/or mathematics. Engineering projects in school commonly deal with non-realistic problems, which lead to difficult challenges for teachers and pupils concerning the transfer of skills to contexts outside of school. Great hopes for engineering’s opportunities to improve pupils’ creativity, learning, initiative, collaboration, and autonomy are expressed in curricula, but no conclusive evidence for its effectiveness exists.
QC 20160907