Design thinking in STEAM education curricula: development and evaluation of effectiveness

The design thinking approach serves as a vital instrument for enhancing creativity, critical thinking, and social competence. This study investigates the impact of integrating design thinking into STEAM education curricula on the development of creative thinking, problem-solving abilities, and overall academic achievement. A quasi-experimental design was employed with 52 participants, divided evenly into control (n=26) and experimental (n=26) groups. The study was conducted in phases. The initial phase included the development of an adapted curriculum, instructional materials, and evaluation tools. Subsequently, pre-tests and post-tests were administered using the TTCT and WGCTA scales. In addition, a questionnaire was utilised to assess students’ perceptions of the design thinking methodology. The results revealed that embedding design thinking into the STEAM curriculum significantly improved creativity (TTCT: +7.2 vs. +1.1), analytical reasoning (WGCTA: +2.3 vs. +0.5), and motivation towards STEAM disciplines (+1.3 vs. +0.4), compared to the control group. Furthermore, the study highlighted the potential of design thinking as a guiding element in career orientation, facilitating informed professional self-determination within the fields of science, technology, and engineering. The findings underscore the importance of this approach due to its emphasis on addressing real-world, complex challe