Fostering Creative Style “Contamination” and Self-Efficacy in STEAM Students Through Multidisciplinary Co-Design

In the rapidly evolving landscape of STEAM disciplines, the demand for multidisciplinary communication, problem-solving skills, and creativity has become increasingly critical. Traditional educational curricula often fall short in preparing students with the competencies needed to navigate these complex, interdisciplinary challenges in their professional careers. This study explores the outcomes of a three-day co-design spring school involving 27 students from diverse STEAM fields. The focus is on how participation in community-driven, real-world design activities influenced their self-efficacy, growth mindset, and creative problem-solving abilities. To achieve this, we employed a mixed-methods approach, incorporating pre- and post-questionnaires, student diaries, design artifacts, and observational notes. The pre-questionnaire aimed to establish a baseline for creative problem-solving styles and mindset using a reduced version of the Basadur Creative Problem Solving Profile (CPSP), as well as self-efficacy using selected items from Limeri's mindset scale. The post-program assessments measured changes in these dimensions and further explored participants' perceptions of the experience. The results indicate that students reported experimenting with a different creative approach than their usual one. Additionally, their involvement in a co-design activity targeting the local community and a real world problem significantly influenced the way they approached tasks. Creative style “contamination” was particularly observed in engineering students, who shifted from evaluative to ideative and thinking styles. While mindsets, due to their nature, exhibited limited and non-significant shifts, participants expressed a stronger belief in their ability to con-tribute to meaningful, real-world projects in terms of a growth mindset. Self-efficacy showed significant improvement, but only in terms of increased confidence in performing diverse tasks. The findings emphasize the importance of co-design ‘for people’ and real-world design projects to promote creative adaptability, improve teamwork between disciplines, and encourage students to step outside their comfort zones. In the long term, this approach offers a promising model for STEAM education, preparing students for an increasingly complex and interdisciplinary professional world.