Developing creative thinking among engineering students through STEM technologies: A mixed-methods investigation

Creative thinking has emerged as a critical competency in twenty-first century engineering practice, yet pedagogical strategies that systematically cultivate this capacity within STEM-oriented curricula remain underexplored. This study investigates how the purposeful integration of STEM technologies—encompassing digital fabrication tools, simulation environments, collaborative coding platforms, and project-based learning frameworks—influences the development of creative thinking skills among undergraduate engineering students. Employing a convergent mixed-methods design, the study collected quantitative data through the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) administered to 124 engineering students across two cohorts at a Central Asian technical university, alongside qualitative data derived from semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and artefact analysis conducted over one academic semester. Findings indicate statistically significant gains in creative fluency (p < .001, d = 0.74), originality (p < .001, d = 0.61), and elaboration (p < .001, d = 0.58) among students in the technology-integrated cohort relative to the comparison group. Qualitative analysis identified three enabling mechanisms: structured ambiguity in design briefs, iterative maker-cycle feedback, and cross-disciplinary technological exposure. The study contributes a theoretically grounded instructional model—the STEM Creative Cycle (SCC)—and offers practical implications for curriculum designers, faculty developers, and educational policy-makers aiming to embed creativity in engineering education.