Integrating design thinking into STEM education: Enhancing problem-solving skills of high school students

Abstract

This study explores the integration of design thinking into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education to develop problem-solving skills among high school students. The study applied a design thinking model with five stages: empathy, problem identification, ideation, prototyping, and testing, through experimental STEM lessons with 334 students. The results show that the model of integrating design thinking into STEM education not only improves critical thinking ability but also increases the ability to apply STEM knowledge into practice. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and indices such as CFI = 0.994 and RMSEA = 0.020 confirmed the high suitability of the model for STEM education. The strong correlations between stages, especially define-ideate (r = 0.731) and prototype-test (r = 0.709), show the effectiveness of repetition in the learning process. This article emphasizes that iteration between stages helps students continually refine and improve their solutions while developing their observation, creativity, and self-evaluation skills.