• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.275-290
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• 2018

This study is to investigate how science and engineering integrated (SEI) lessons affect science-gifted students' perceptions about engineers and engineering practices. Twenty elementary science gifted students participate in this study, and they reflect what engineering practice means such as managing limited time and budget. The SEI lessons with 24 hours class time are used as an intervention. The main data are collected with 'engineer and engineering drawing test', open-ended questions and interviews about the drawing, and focus group interviews about the lessons. The transcribed interview data are analyzed using mixed methodology of quantitative (descriptive and paired t-test) and qualitative methods. The result shows that the SEI lessons have positive impacts on the science-gifted students' perceptions about engineers and engineering practices such as engineering design. After the lessons, the students perceive engineering and engineers in a desired way such as engineering as a social practice that many experts work collaboratively, the interaction between engineering and society, and the importance of ethics and social values in engineering practice.