Empowering creative thinking through STEM learning: The pure water kit as a tool to support SDGs

The availability of clean water and proper sanitation remains a pressing global issue, including in Indonesia. According to the 2024 report by WHO and UNICEF, millions of individuals still lack adequate access to safe water. This study explores the development of students’ creative thinking skills through STEM-based learning utilizing the Pure Water Kit, which embeds sustainability principles aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Employing a quasi-experimental approach with a one-shot case study design, the research involved 34 tenth-grade students from Senior High School Muhammadiyah 7 Surabaya (SMA Muhammadiyah 7 Surabaya), Indonesia. The instructional focus centered on environmental pollution, delivered through project-based learning using the Pure Water Kit. Data on creative thinking were gathered via student worksheets and analyzed using both qualitative descriptive and quantitative methods, with reliability assessed through the Percentage of Agreement (POA). Results revealed that students demonstrated strong creative thinking abilities, with average scores of 95.8% in flexibility, 87.5% in elaboration, and 79.2% in both fluency and originality. These findings suggest that STEM learning supported by the Pure Water Kit effectively fosters students’ capacity to generate flexible and elaborative solutions to water-related challenges. Moreover, the initiative contributes to the advancement of SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 15 (Life on Land). Thus, the Pure Water Kit serves not only as a science education tool but also as a medium for reinforcing sustainability-oriented STEM pedagogy.