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

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.