Exploring Science Teachers’ Views on Design Thinking Oriented STEM Education Practices

This study aims to explore science teachers’ perspectives on the implementation of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) applications through a Design Thinking (DT) approach. Employing a qualitative case study design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 science teachers selected via maximum variation sampling, a purposive sampling strategy. Data were analyzed through content analysis. The findings reveal that science teachers generally perceived DT-based STEM applications positively, particularly in terms of enhancing instructional effectiveness. Participants reported that these practices supported both their professional and personal growth, fostered greater classroom interaction, and improved student motivation. Additionally, the teachers emphasized a strong connection between STEM activities and the development of computational thinking skills—especially in fostering algorithmic thinking, problem-solving, and systematic analysis. Despite these benefits, several implementation challenges were noted, including time constraints, curriculum overload, limited resources, classroom management issues, and occasional lack of student engagement. Overall, the study concludes that the design-based thinking approach serves an integrative function in embedding creative and computational thinking within STEM education, offering multifaceted benefits for both students and educators.