Student Engagement in Technology Education Classes: Perspectives of High School Teachers and Students in Abu Dhabi’s International Private Schools

Abstract

In the last 20 years, technology has advanced ubiquitously around the world finding its way into education. While it is assumed that technology can engage the digital natives, literature review from first-year computer science university students worldwide shows otherwise. This study used a mixed method approach to look at the perspectives of 500 high school students and 12 technology education teachers from private schools in Abu Dhabi in order to explore student engagement in technology education lessons. The major findings show that although these students are quite adept in using technology informally, they display varied engagement when learning about technology at schools and there are many factors that contribute to their engagement in these lessons which include the students’ as well as the teachers’ attitudes, the significance of technology education as a subject in the school and the subject curriculum, the learning environment and the school technology education infrastructure. Further studies that investigate teachers’ qualifications, their professional experiences and also perspectives from public schools are recommended to get a better understanding of what engages high school students in technology education lessons.