Learning Science by Doing Design: How can it Work at the Middle School Level?

The purpose of this study was to investigate how a design-based curriculum that tied scientific concepts of energy to technological design can help students understand concepts of energy transfer and transformation, as well as increase their technological literacy. In addition, our goal was to increase our knowledge of pedagogical strategies that can help facilitate students learn the process of design in the middle-school level. Nine instructors, divided into teams, instructed the curriculum and collected data during a two-week summer science camp for 38 middle-school students from diverse economic and racial backgrounds. Data was collected through instructors' online reflections and group discussions at the end of each day of instruction, as well as students' pre-post tests, online reflections after each design project, and sketches of their designs during planning. Findings indicated significant improvements in students' capability to connect the scientific content knowledge of energy to their design projects, as well as improvement of some technological literacy skills. Pedagogical strategies for implementing design-based instruction in the middle-school level are included.