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Journals / Erzincan Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 28 Sayı: 2026

Investigating Achievement and Attitudes Through Engineering Design-Based Stem: A Mixed-Methods Study in Elementary Classrooms

İlkokul Sınıflarında Mühendislik Tasarım Temelli Stem Aracılığıyla Başarı ve Tutumların İncelenmesi: Karma Yöntemli Bir Çalışma

Arzu Tanış Özçelik(AYDIN ADNAN MENDERES ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0002-7256-3828
Güler Akkor(Millî Eğitim Bakanlığı Manisa)0009-0008-0977-6290
Pages
1–13
Publication Date
2026-07-13
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

These findings contribute to global conversations around elementary STEM pedagogy and inform design-based learning practices that bridge science content with real-world problem-solving.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:With the growing emphasis on integrated STEM education globally, there remains a need to understand its impact on younger learners within authentic classroom contexts.
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Key Findings & Data:This mixed-methods study investigates the impact of integrated STEM instruction on elementary students’ academic achievement and attitudes within the context of a design-based science unit.
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Conclusion & Impact:These findings contribute to global conversations around elementary STEM pedagogy and inform design-based learning practices that bridge science content with real-world problem-solving.
🔬Design:Modeling & Simulation
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:mühendislik tasarımı · akademik başarı · tutum

Abstract

With the growing emphasis on integrated STEM education globally, there remains a need to understand its impact on younger learners within authentic classroom contexts. This mixed-methods study investigates the impact of integrated STEM instruction on elementary students’ academic achievement and attitudes within the context of a design-based science unit. Conducted in a public school in western Türkiye, the study involved 34 fourth-grade students who participated in a fifteen-hour instructional sequence on light and sound technologies. The experimental group engaged in structured, hands-on STEM activities grounded in the engineering design process, while the control group followed the standard curriculum. Quantitative analysis revealed significant improvements in the experimental group’s academic performance and STEM attitudes. Qualitative fieldnotes highlighted students’ contextual application of scientific reasoning, persistence during iterative design revisions, and social-emotional investment in group work. By integrating into the standard curriculum and involving the classroom teacher, the study offers a replicable, scalable model of early STEM integration. These findings contribute to global conversations around elementary STEM pedagogy and inform design-based learning practices that bridge science content with real-world problem-solving.

Özet

Dünya genelinde bütünleşik STEM eğitimine verilen önem artarken, bu eğitimin daha genç yaştaki öğrenenler üzerindeki etkisini otantik sınıf ortamlarında anlama ihtiyacı devam etmektedir. Bu karma yöntem çalışması, tasarım temelli bir fen ünitesi bağlamında bütünleşik STEM öğretiminin ilkokul öğrencilerinin akademik başarıları ve tutumları üzerindeki etkisini incelemektedir. Türkiye'nin batısındaki bir devlet okulunda yürütülen çalışmaya, ışık ve ses teknolojileri üzerine on beş saatlik bir öğretim sürecine katılan 34 dördüncü sınıf öğrencisi dâhil olmuştur. Deney grubu, mühendislik tasarım sürecine dayalı yapılandırılmış, uygulamalı STEM etkinliklerine katılırken, kontrol grubu standart müfredatı takip etmiştir. Nicel analizler, deney grubunun akademik performansında ve STEM tutumlarında anlamlı iyileşmeler olduğunu ortaya koymuştur. Nitel alan notları, öğrencilerin bilimsel akıl yürütmeyi bağlamsal olarak uyguladıklarını, yinelemeli tasarım revizyonları sırasında sergiledikleri azmi ve grup çalışmasına olan sosyal-duygusal yatırımlarını vurgulamıştır. Standart müfredatla bütünleşme ve sınıf öğretmeninin sürece dahil edilmesi yoluyla çalışma, tekrar edilebilir ve ölçeklenebilir bir erken STEM entegrasyon modeli sunmaktadır. Bu bulgular, ilkokul STEM pedagojisi etrafındaki küresel tartışmalara katkıda bulunmakta ve fen içeriğini gerçek dünya problem çözme süreçleriyle birleştiren tasarım temelli öğrenme uygulamalarına ışık tutmaktadır.

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Cite This Article

Özçelik, A. T., Akkor, G. (2026). Investigating Achievement and Attitudes Through Engineering Design-Based Stem: A Mixed-Methods Study in Elementary Classrooms. Erzincan Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, Cilt: 28 Sayı: 2026, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.17556/erziefd.1887493

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