The Development of Third-Grade Students' Engineering Design Process Through Outdoor STEM Learning Based on the Context of Phuket Province

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the engineering design process skills of Grade 3 students before participating in outdoor STEM learning activities contextualized to Phuket Province, to develop these skills through the implementation of such activities, and to design outdoor STEM learning experiences that promote scientific problem-solving abilities in students. The research participants were 33 Grade 3 students from a school in Phuket Province during the second semester of the 2024 academic year. They were selected through purposive sampling, and the researcher also served as the instructor throughout the study. To conduct the research, three contextualized outdoor STEM lesson plans were developed and implemented, along with an engineering design process skills assessment tool and student learning journals. Data were analyzed using both content analysis and statistical methods to determine the impact of the intervention. The findings revealed that students who participated in the outdoor STEM learning activities demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in their engineering design process skills when compared to their performance before the intervention. All five assessed indicators showed positive development. Students’ ability to identify problems increased from an average score of 15.5% to 35.7%, while their skill in gathering information improved from 13.5% to 35%. Initially, students found it difficult to identify relevant problems and collect necessary data. However, after engaging in the learning activities, most students exhibited notable improvement in these areas. Students' enhanced skills encompassed the full scope of the engineering design process, including identifying problems, gathering data, designing appropriate solutions, planning and executing their problem-solving strategies, and presenting the outcomes or developed products. In addition, the students demonstrated an ability to systematically apply engineering design principles to real-world challenges. For instance, during a tie-dye activity, they were able to collect natural plants to extract dyes and use them to color fabric, showcasing their understanding and application of the engineering process. These results demonstrate that students' engineering design process skills improved significantly after participating in the contextualized outdoor STEM learning, at a statistical significance level of 0.05. This indicates that STEM education, when grounded in real-life, local contexts and delivered through experiential outdoor learning, can meaningfully enhance students’ problem-solving abilities and support their overall cognitive and creative development.