Design-based learning to facilitate secondary students’ understanding of pulleys

Design-based learning has been internationally recognised as a new pedagogical approach to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education at primary and secondary levels. While previous studies have examined its effectiveness in facilitating students’ scientific understanding of various topics, it is evident that design-based learning may be less effective in some topics. Design-based learning on the topic of pulleys, which students often have difficulty setting up by themselves, has not yet been implemented. Thus, this study aims to examine the influence of design-based learning on 25 eighth-grade students’ understanding of pulleys. Before and after the design-based learning, each student individually completed a conceptual test comprised of 12 multiple-choice questions from the literature. Their mean scores on the pre-test and the post-test were compared using a paired-samples t-test. The results reveal a significant improvement in students’ understanding of pulleys with a large effect size. Recommendations for effective design-based learning are proposed for application in other topics. ©, Engineers Australia.