STEM education impact on the development of primary school students meta-subject skills: an experimental study in Kazakhstan
Yesnazar A. Zhorabekova A. Kalzhanova A. Abilkhairova Z. Ortaeva K. Jumassaeva Z.
2025Frontiers Media SA
Frontiers in Education
2025#10
Introduction: Organizing the primary education process within the framework of STEM education enhances students scientific literacy, fosters the development of engineering skills, promotes analytical and critical thinking abilities, and increases interest in technical disciplines. This study is grounded in an integrative approach to organizing the primary education process through STEM education, focusing on the development of meta-subject skills in primary school students. Based on this integrative approach, a dedicated STEM-oriented educational program was developed. Methods: The study was conducted in three stages: diagnostic, formative, and control. A pre-test and post-test design was employed to compare the outcomes of the control and Experimental classs. The Experimental class was taught using the newly developed STEM program, while the control class followed the traditional curriculum. Results: All data were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U test. The Shapiro–Wilk test was employed to assess the normality of data distribution. The pre-test results indicated that the initial knowledge levels of the two classes were comparable. However, the post-experimental findings revealed significant changes. A statistically significant difference was identified between the performance of the control and experimental classes, with the experimental class demonstrating superior outcomes. These results provide clear evidence of the effectiveness of the interventions implemented in the Experimental class. Overall, the findings confirm the reliability and validity of the study. Discussion: The STEM-based educational program was tested during the experiment, and its effectiveness was evaluated through a comparative analysis of pre- and post-test results. The findings provide strong evidence in support of the effectiveness of the instructional approach applied to the Experimental class. Copyright
meta-subject skills , STEM , STEM education , STEM in primary education , STEM-based instructional program
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Department of Methods of Primary Education, Zhanibekov University, Shymkent, Kazakhstan
Department of Foreign Languages for Technical Specialties, M. Auezov South Kazakhstan University, Shymkent, Kazakhstan
Department of Psychological and Pedagogical Education and Teaching Methods, Korkyt Ata Kyzylorda University, Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan
Department of Physics, M. Auezov South Kazakhstan University, Shymkent, Kazakhstan
Department of Methods of Primary Education
Department of Foreign Languages for Technical Specialties
Department of Psychological and Pedagogical Education and Teaching Methods
Department of Physics
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