Technological Resources and Problem-Solving Methods to Foster a Positive Attitude Toward Formative Research in Engineering Students

Formative research, within the context of the pedagogical function of research, employs investigative teaching methods and practices commonly used in universities. However, these methods have largely shown limited effectiveness, as only a minority of students choose to pursue research work to earn t...

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Main Authors: Ronald Paucar-Curasma, Klinge Orlando Villalba-Condori, Sara Hermelinda Gonzales-Agama, Freddy Toribio Huayta-Meza, David Rondon, Ninna Nyberg Sapallanay-Gomez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Education Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/14/12/1397
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author Ronald Paucar-Curasma
Klinge Orlando Villalba-Condori
Sara Hermelinda Gonzales-Agama
Freddy Toribio Huayta-Meza
David Rondon
Ninna Nyberg Sapallanay-Gomez
author_facet Ronald Paucar-Curasma
Klinge Orlando Villalba-Condori
Sara Hermelinda Gonzales-Agama
Freddy Toribio Huayta-Meza
David Rondon
Ninna Nyberg Sapallanay-Gomez
author_sort Ronald Paucar-Curasma
collection DOAJ
description Formative research, within the context of the pedagogical function of research, employs investigative teaching methods and practices commonly used in universities. However, these methods have largely shown limited effectiveness, as only a minority of students choose to pursue research work to earn their university degree. Additionally, there is a restricted use of technological tools in the development of research-related activities. With this problem in mind, the present study aims to propose the use of technological resources and the problem-solving method to foster a positive attitude toward formative research among first-year engineering students at a public university in Peru. The classroom interventions involved developing investigative activities based on the four phases of the problem-solving method: understanding the problem, developing a plan, executing the plan, and reviewing the solution. During these activities, students used an Arduino board along with sensors, actuators, and block-based programming to address real-world problems in their communities, such as in agriculture, livestock, environment, and education. Following the classroom interventions, students’ attitudes toward formative research were statistically evaluated across several dimensions: satisfaction and enjoyment of research, conceptual appropriation, learning behavior, systematic exploration, and perceived skills. The results show that students’ perception of their attitude toward formative research is predominantly high or very high. This indicates that the proposal to use technological resources and the four-phase problem-solving method is effective in fostering a positive attitude toward formative research among engineering students. Thus, the proposed approach would benefit engineering students by applying it across various courses within their professional program.
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spelling doaj-art-5eab5466f6064aadbfc60beb8ffcf6212024-12-27T14:22:44ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022024-12-011412139710.3390/educsci14121397Technological Resources and Problem-Solving Methods to Foster a Positive Attitude Toward Formative Research in Engineering StudentsRonald Paucar-Curasma0Klinge Orlando Villalba-Condori1Sara Hermelinda Gonzales-Agama2Freddy Toribio Huayta-Meza3David Rondon4Ninna Nyberg Sapallanay-Gomez5Grupo de Investigación TIC Aplicadas a la Sociedad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Tayacaja Daniel Hernández Morillo, Pampas 09156, PeruVicerrectorado de Investigación, Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña, Santo Domingo 10203, Dominican RepublicGrupo de Investigación TIC Aplicadas a la Sociedad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Tayacaja Daniel Hernández Morillo, Pampas 09156, PeruEscuela Profesional de Ingeniería de Sistemas, Universidad Nacional de Huancavelica, Paturpampa 09001, PeruDepartamento de Estudios Generales, Universidad Continental, Huancayo 12001, PeruCarrera de Matemática, Computación e Informática, Universidad Nacional de Huancavelica, Paturpampa 09001, PeruFormative research, within the context of the pedagogical function of research, employs investigative teaching methods and practices commonly used in universities. However, these methods have largely shown limited effectiveness, as only a minority of students choose to pursue research work to earn their university degree. Additionally, there is a restricted use of technological tools in the development of research-related activities. With this problem in mind, the present study aims to propose the use of technological resources and the problem-solving method to foster a positive attitude toward formative research among first-year engineering students at a public university in Peru. The classroom interventions involved developing investigative activities based on the four phases of the problem-solving method: understanding the problem, developing a plan, executing the plan, and reviewing the solution. During these activities, students used an Arduino board along with sensors, actuators, and block-based programming to address real-world problems in their communities, such as in agriculture, livestock, environment, and education. Following the classroom interventions, students’ attitudes toward formative research were statistically evaluated across several dimensions: satisfaction and enjoyment of research, conceptual appropriation, learning behavior, systematic exploration, and perceived skills. The results show that students’ perception of their attitude toward formative research is predominantly high or very high. This indicates that the proposal to use technological resources and the four-phase problem-solving method is effective in fostering a positive attitude toward formative research among engineering students. Thus, the proposed approach would benefit engineering students by applying it across various courses within their professional program.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/14/12/1397formative researchengineering studentsproblem-solvingtechnological resourcesattitude toward research
spellingShingle Ronald Paucar-Curasma
Klinge Orlando Villalba-Condori
Sara Hermelinda Gonzales-Agama
Freddy Toribio Huayta-Meza
David Rondon
Ninna Nyberg Sapallanay-Gomez
Technological Resources and Problem-Solving Methods to Foster a Positive Attitude Toward Formative Research in Engineering Students
Education Sciences
formative research
engineering students
problem-solving
technological resources
attitude toward research
title Technological Resources and Problem-Solving Methods to Foster a Positive Attitude Toward Formative Research in Engineering Students
title_full Technological Resources and Problem-Solving Methods to Foster a Positive Attitude Toward Formative Research in Engineering Students
title_fullStr Technological Resources and Problem-Solving Methods to Foster a Positive Attitude Toward Formative Research in Engineering Students
title_full_unstemmed Technological Resources and Problem-Solving Methods to Foster a Positive Attitude Toward Formative Research in Engineering Students
title_short Technological Resources and Problem-Solving Methods to Foster a Positive Attitude Toward Formative Research in Engineering Students
title_sort technological resources and problem solving methods to foster a positive attitude toward formative research in engineering students
topic formative research
engineering students
problem-solving
technological resources
attitude toward research
url https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/14/12/1397
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