Development of Learning Activities using Engineering Design Process within STEM Education Framework to Enhance Grade 7 Students’ Creative Problem-Solving Ability

Abstract

The purposes of the present study were: (1) to develop learning activities using the engineering design process within the STEM education framework on the topic of Thermal Energy for Grade 7 students with a target efficiency of 75/75; (2) to compare students’ creative problem-solving abilities before and after learning through the designed activities; and (3) to compare students’ learning achievement before and after learning through the designed activities. The cluster random sampling technique was employed to select 39 Grade 7/12 students studying in the second semester of the 2024 academic year at Prasatwitthayakarn School in Surin Province. The research instruments included: (1) lesson plans based on the engineering design process and STEM framework, (2) a creative problem-solving ability test, and (3) a science achievement test developed by the researcher. Percentage, mean, and standard deviation were used to analyze the data, while the hypotheses were tested using E1/E2 efficiency analysis and the dependent samples t-test. The results revealed that (1) the developed learning activities achieved an efficiency of 82.53/80.07, (2) students’ post-test creative problem-solving ability scores were significantly higher than their pre-test scores at the .05 level, and (3) students’ post-test learning achievement scores were also significantly higher than their pre-test scores at the .05 level. These findings suggest that integrating the engineering design process within the STEM education framework is an effective instructional approach for enhancing both creative problem-solving ability and science achievement in secondary school students. Future research in this field could explore how integrating the engineering design process with STEM education influences other 21st-century competencies—such as collaboration, critical thinking, and innovation—across diverse learning contexts.