Elevers förståelse av tekniska system och designprocesser: Det är tekniskt, ganska svårt och avancerat

In a technologically dependent society, like the one we are living in today, it is of importance to develop citizens' technological literacy, including an understanding of technological processes and technological systems and the ability to make informed decisions. Technology is a compulsory subject in Swedish compulsory school. The curriculum requirements include the abilities to identify, analyse, develop and evaluate technology and technological solutions. Thus, technological literacy can be seen as a part of the subject of technology.
This study investigates how students' interactions and dialogues could affect their learning of technological concepts, their development of a language appropriate to the subject as well as their development of technological literacy. In the study, the students have used images that they have chosen themselves as well as self-designed 3 D models. The practical focus of the study was found to facilitate the work of creating an in-depth understanding of how students successively develop a technological literacy. The study was conducted in the spring of 2016 at a lower secondary school in a small Swedish village. During four weeks the students (age 13-14) participated in a design activity, which involved the construction of an apartment. This included planning, designing, making, reflecting and presenting a self-made model. Within the project the students explored subject-related words and concepts and communicated this knowledge in small-group interactions with support of their images or models. The interactions were video recorded, transcribed and analysed. The main results indicate that students, to some extent, express and develop technological knowledge in interaction with fellow students, models and classroom input. Working in design processes gave the students’ opportunities to achieve a deeper understanding of technology in relation to society, individuals and environment, which probably promotes their development of technological literacy. A second conclusion indicate that joint discussions were important for the students’ knowledge development concerning technological systems and future technology. The study contributed to a deeper understanding of students’ ideas on technological systems as well as their ability to express and develop knowledge on future technology and sustainability in discussions. Together this offer a perspective on how students develop a technological literacy in this context.
This study demonstrates how an extension of the teaching goals from producing artefacts to an inclusion of a systems perspective can contribute to the development of technological literacy, empowering citizens to participate in future knowledge-based decision making in society, which possibly could contribute to a sustainable society.