DEVELOPING STUDENTS' ENGINEERING THINKING IN STEM: AN EXAMPLE OF AN INTEGRATED STEM PROJECT

Abstract

The implementation of STEM technologies in the training of teaching staff in Kazakhstan has a number of problems. They are associated with insufficient readiness of teachers to implement STEM education and a lack of experience in integrating secondary education curricula. Along with this, studies of the content of training future STEM teachers in the context of engineering education are also limited. The main goal of this study is to understand how the proposed integrated STEM project-based learning affects the development of engineering thinking of students of a pedagogical university. The study used a self-assessment method of engineering thinking skills based on an info map with acquired skills to identify students' strengths and weaknesses when developing STEM projects. The study involved 162 students of a pedagogical university to measure the results before and after using the teaching method. This study showed that the students who participated in the experiment significantly increased their level of engineering thinking (the average score for the level of engineering thinking development increased from 3.57 to 4.16) and provided themselves with the knowledge and skills necessary for a successful career in scientific, technical and engineering fields. The results showed the effectiveness of integrated STEM project-based learning aimed at developing engineering thinking. It is recommended to use the proposed methodology of integrated STEM learning in universities when preparing a universal STEM teacher.