The STEM Education to Enhance Scientific and Engineering Practices for Grade 4 Student on Physical Properties of Materials

Abstract

          The aim of this research is to study the implementation of the STEM education learning approach to enhance scientific and engineering practices for grade 4 students on the physical properties of materials. The research methodology consists of three cycles of action research, and the participants are 17 students at the educational opportunity expansion school in Uttaradit Province. The research instruments include lesson plans, teaching reflections, scientific and engineering practice observations, notes, and students' artefacts. Content analysis and triangulation are used to examine the data. The results indicate that STEM teaching encourages students to: 1) identify problems and pose scientific questions, enabling them to independently design solutions; 2) use information from their data searches; 3) use mathematics and computation to support methods and the design of problem solutions. Also, STEM teaching encourages students to: 4) plan the work process and test material properties before work to reduce the trial-and-error process; 5) design methods for testing, evaluating, and revising work using a variety of scientific process skills, 6) explain and present their work with reasons or reliable evidence. In addition, most students appeared to develop their scientific and engineering practices in planning and carrying out investigations; asking questions and defining problems; developing and using models; constructing explanations and designing solutions; arguing by evidence; using mathematics and computational thinking, obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information; as well as analysing and interpreting data, respectively.