Core concepts for engineering literacy: The interrelationships among STEM disciplines

Core concepts for engineering literacy: The interrelationships among STEM disciplines Conference

Chae, Y, Purzer, S, Cardella, M. (2010). Core concepts for engineering literacy: The interrelationships among STEM disciplines .

The purpose of this paper is to define STEM literacy by examining the commonalities and differences between engineering, technology, science, and mathematics. We analyzed three major organizations' publications on literacy and K-12 education standards. These publications are: 1) Standards for Technological Literacy, 2) National Science Education Standards, and 3) Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. These standards and literacy documents are compared and synthesized by examining their differences and commonalities. We also compared the definition of engineering literacy emerged from this analysis with other definitions published by AAAS, NRC, and NAE. By comparing the different literacy documents and standards, we provide a holistic view of the relationships among the four fields and suggest core concepts to be included in engineering literacy. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2010.