Fifth Graders' Learning About Simple Machines Through Engineering Design-Based Instruction Using LEGO Materials

This study is part of a 5-year National Science Foundation-funded project, Transforming Elementary Science Learning Through LEGO Engineering Design. This paper reports on the successes and challenges of implementing an engineering design-based and LEGO-oriented unit in an urban classroom setting and focuses on the impact of the unit on students' content understanding of simple machines. The LEGO engineering-based simple machines module, which was developed for fifth graders by the research team, was implemented in an urban school in a large city in the Northeastern region of the United States. Thirty-three fifth grade students participated in the study, and they showed significant growth in content understanding. Students' content knowledge was measured by using identical paper tests and semistructured interviews before and after instruction. The paired t test analysis results showed that students significantly improved their test and interview scores. Several alternative conceptions that are held by students on simple machines were also identified. [Author abstract, ed]