ABSTRACT. This research explores the state of technological and engineering education in Québec, within the context of implementing current science and technology reform curricula. It highlights the challenges and opportunities faced by educators in diverse contexts, including Indigenous, English, and French sectors, as well as adult education. The study examines the successes and challenges experienced by educators in delivering technology and engineering instruction, as well as the discourse on equitable access to technology and engineering education, which highlights the importance of inclusive pedagogy and curriculum renewal. We draw on Lipsky's (2010) theory of street-level bureaucracy where public service workers, including teachers, act as key agents in policy implementation within hierarchical authority organizations. Findings underscore the need for curricula that align with both teachers' and learners' experiences. Moreover, culturally relevant evaluation tools, particularly for teachers in Indigenous communities and adult education are crucially important. By focusing on these diverse contexts, this study examines the needs and perspectives of educators working with underrepresented groups and in mainstream educational settings. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with in-service science teachers, lab technicians, and science consultants were collected and analyszd. Findings suggest a lack of institutional support, resources, and equipment, which limited teachers' capacity to deliver effective technology education in schools. Participants reported differing perspectives on whether technology should be integrated into the science curriculum or taught as a separate subject, as well as how to evaluate students in diverse educational contexts. These discussions reflect broader debates about equity in education and the need for strategies that bridge the gap between diverse communities and technological realities. This study contributes to ongoing efforts to develop equitable access to technology education, which should be a priority for classroom practitioners and policymakers.

ABSTRACT. Design-based learning, a hallmark of technology education and STEM integration, offers students dynamic, open-ended challenges that can spark high levels of initial engagement. However, motivation can fluctuate significantly over the course of more, larger-scale or long-term design projects, as learners encounter design realities including ambiguity, iterative processes, and the demand for meaningful outcomes. These “highs and lows” of engagement—analogous to a motivational rollercoaster—can deter students from persisting through difficult stages, thereby reducing the potential impact of the project on learning, skill development, and producing valuable design outputs. This paper examines some key factors that can influence motivational fluctuations in long-term design projects, drawing on existing design education literature and principles from transitional psychology. In particular, Schlossberg’s Transition Theory will be reviewed as a useful lens for understanding the emotional journey students experience when moving from initial enthusiasm in designing to potential crisis points characterized by discouragement and uncertainty. The theory’s 4S framework—Situation, Self, Supports, and Strategies—can offer practical guidance that can be translated to education to help students recognize and navigate these transitions in motivation and engagement. Additionally, this paper reviews specific strategies that can mitigate motivational challenges, including designing empathy-driven tasks that enhance personal relevance, providing clearer milestones to reduce ambiguity, and delivering actionable feedback. By acknowledging the role of motivation in design projects and equipping students with coping mechanisms for setbacks, educators can create more supportive, resilience-building environments. Ultimately, this work highlights the importance of addressing the motivational rollercoaster inherent in design education, offering insights for practitioners and researchers to enhance student persistence, engagement, and the overall quality of design-based educational experience.

ABSTRACT. The integration of design as a fundamental aspect in technology education curricula is evident worldwide, though the terminology varies across different contexts. The term design thinking is widely used to describe a framing of the design-related activity within this field; however, other terms exist and interpretations of what these encompass differ. Various frameworks exist to describe or explain the components of design, each offering unique perspectives and emphasising different aspects of the process. Despite its growing prominence, there remains a lack of consensus regarding the terminology and exact nature of design (thinking, process, framework), which creates challenges in both its implementation and assessment within educational settings. The explicit inclusion of design thinking in curricula, along with its lack of explanation, highlights the need for a clearer, more comprehensive understanding of the concept, as well as similar concepts. These differing phrasings and viewpoints leave an ambiguity on what design thinking entails, making it difficult to investigate its associated skills when their definitions remain uncertain. Without a well-defined and commonly accepted framework, meaningful connections between design thinking and broader educational goals cannot be effectively explored. Given the existence of multiple design frameworks, this paper seeks to identify commonalities among them and pinpoint shared components and points of departure across different design thinking models. A rapid review was conducted to examine the nature and application of design thinking frameworks in technology education in recent years. The findings provide an overview of these frameworks, with a more detailed focus on key components that frequently emerge. Ultimately, this paper contributes to a broader understanding of design thinking by highlighting its core components, shared principles, and implications for technology education.

ABSTRACT. The global shortage of science and technology (S&T) specialists, combined with the underrepresentation of girls in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields in Quebec, Canada, and internationally, raises major concerns (Roy et al., 2014; Franz-Odendaal et al., 2016; Patchen et al., 2017). These findings, combined with the importance of basic S&T knowledge and skills for all citizens, have prompted researchers to identify factors that may promote interest in S&T among both girls and boys (Christidou, 2011; DeCoito, 2016; Krapp and Prenzel, 2011; Potvin and Hasni, 2014).

Among the avenues emerging from research, design-based educational activities, such as the technological design process (TDP), emerge as potential levers to stimulate interest (Rohaan et al., 2009; Weber, 2012). With this in mind, this research focuses on the impact of TDP on students’ interest at the end of primary school and the beginning of secondary school, a critical period in which interest in ST tends to decrease more abruptly (Potvin and Hasni, 2018). The objective of this study is to measure the influence of DCT on short-term (situational) and long-term (individual) interest (Hidi and Renninger, 2006), while examining the differences in impact between girls and boys.

A quasi-experimental design was used with 314 students and 11 volunteer teachers, whom had received in-service training. Data were collected using pre- and post-test questionnaires measuring situational and individual interest, comparing activities with and without DCT.

The results indicate that DCT had a positive effect on the interest of primary school students, especially for girls. However, this effect was not observed among secondary school students. The study therefore recommends early integration of DCT into the school curriculum, for stimulating interest in ST, especially girls’.

ABSTRACT. School education around the world has been making efforts to prepare for changes in future education and to enhance students’ self-directed learning capabilities. In South Korea, convergence education has been implemented as a national education policy since 2010 with the purpose of increasing students’ interest in science and technology and fostering science and technology-based problem-solving skills. In addition, Korea’s new national curriculum emphasizes sustainable development under the name of ‘Ecological Transformation Education’. The purpose of this study is to develop STEAM education programs for a sustainable society for middle school students. This was implemented for one year until 2025 with financial support from the Korean government. Specifically, six STEM programs based on sustainable development were developed for 8th graders. The developed programs consisted of two science-based, two technology-based, one computer science-based, and one mathematics based program, and field application study was also conducted. As a result of field study, attitudes toward engineering and STEM were improved. The revised curriculum of 2022 will be implemented from 2025 in South Korea, so the developed program will be used as integrated teaching materials in conjunction with classes at schools. In addition, classes based on the developed program should be implemented at schools to continue research on the effectiveness of the program.

ABSTRACT. This paper presents a design-based research project conducted in two Grade 5 classes in rural Québec, where students engaged in a 3D modeling and printing activity titled Bottle Your Creativity! The activity aimed to foster design thinking, problem-solving, and computational thinking within a transdisciplinary STEAM framework. Students were tasked with designing and modeling personalized bottle prototypes using Tinkercad, while navigating mathematical constraints (volume, geometric solids), scientific reasoning (materials, environmental impact), and aesthetic considerations. Through classroom observations, student sketches, digital models, and interviews, the analysis reveals how learners iteratively engaged in creative and technical thinking, negotiated design constraints, and developed transferable computational strategies. Findings illustrate that integrating digital fabrication into elementary education can deepen conceptual understanding in geometry and measurement, while promoting learner autonomy, inclusion, and authentic connections across disciplines. The study offers a replicable model for STEAM-based pedagogical integration within the Québec curriculum and contributes to discussions on how making and modeling can support equity, creativity, and engagement in mathematics and science education.

ABSTRACT. Abstract. In the context of increasing enrollments and concerns over student retention in higher education, this study introduces a machine learning framework designed to optimize student placement in academic programs. Addressing the challenges posed by the surge in student num- bers and the complexities of matching student profiles to suitable pro- grams, the proposed methodology leverages data analytics to predict student success and mitigate dropout rates. The framework facilitates the creation of student profiles and employs machine learning techniques to align incoming students with optimal academic paths, with the goal of fostering a more effective and personalized educational environment.

ABSTRACT. The Technology Education Graduate Research Database 1892-2000 (TEGRD; Reed, 2001) built upon the work of Jelden (1981) and Foster (1992) and lists over 5,200 dissertations and theses. The TEGRD highlights the history of doctoral dissertation, educational specialist, and master’s research in technology and engineering education, much of which goes unpublished. A review of technology and engineering education graduate research has not been shared since Foster (2010). This paper will focus on graduate research from 2000-2024 as a comprehensive update to the TEGRD. Methods used to build the database will be shared as well as common themes that emerged in the past 25 years and comparisons to published calls for research during this period (i.e., Cajas, 2000; Lewis, 1999; Martin & Ritz, 2012; Williams, 2011).

Cajas , F. (2000). Technology education research: Potential directions. Journal of Technology Education, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.21061/jte.v12i1.a.6 Foster, T. W. (Ed.). (1992). Electronic supplement #1 to the Journal of Technology Education: A partial bibliography of recent graduate research in technology education and related fields. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/ Foster, T. W. (2010). Graduate research in technology and engineering education: 2000-2009. Journal of Technology Education, 22(1), 75-87. DOI: 10.21061/jte.v22i1.a.5 Jelden, D. L. (Ed.). (1981). Summaries of studies in industrial arts, trade and industrial, and technical education. University of Northern Colorado. Lewis, T. (1999). Research in technology education: Some areas of need. Journal of Technology Education, 10(2). DOI: 10.21061/jte.v10i2.a.3 Martin, G. E. & Ritz, J. M. (2012). Research needs in technology education: A U. S. perspective. Journal of Technology Education, 23(2). DOI: 10.21061/jte.v23i2.a.2 Reed, P. A. (Ed.). (2001). The technology education graduate research database: 1892-2000. CTETE Monograph 17. https://www.iteea.org/-ctete Williams, P. J. (2011). Research in technology education: Looking back to move forward. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, DOI: 10.1007/s10798-011-9170-8

ABSTRACT. Due to digitalization, children are influenced by the development of technology and use technology to solve problems. Addressing the associated competencies in early learning processes is essential for responsible participation in society (Gervé, 2022). One approach is the promotion of computational thinking (Wing, 2006), which expands established problem-solving skills to include digital aspects. Eickelmann et al. (2024) indicate that students' computational thinking skills are limited. Furthermore, studies reveal that spiral-curricular learning approaches offer potential for continuous learning (Ringelberg, 2017). However, inclusive, spiral- curricular concepts for technology learning in the context of mechanical and digital controlling processes seem to be insufficiently explored empirically. Therefore, this research project investigates the following questions: a) How can spiral-curricular technology education focusing on problem solving be designed?; b) To what extent do these concepts promote competency development? The quasi-longitudinal study uses a pre-post-design, in which the promotion of technology education in the context of mechanical and digitally-supported controlling processes is assessed at various educational transitions. An intervention between the measurement points is adapted to each educational level. This article presents the test instruments used and shows initial quantitative results from a pilot study of pupils aged 8 to 11 years (N=60). It discusses the instruments for future use against a descriptive and inferential statistical evaluation.