From Sustainability Concepts to STEM Projects
Conceptual Learning Following an Integrated STEM Intervention in Primary and Secondary Education
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22044153 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Guadalupe Martínez‐Borreguero (0000-0002-0246-9406, Universidad de Extremadura), Guadalupe Martínez-Borreguero (Universidad de Extremadura), Jesús Maestre-Jiménez (Universidad de Extremadura), Milagros Mateos-Núñez (0000-0003-2064-0921, Universidad de Extremadura), Francisco Luis Naranjo-Correa (0000-0001-8651-4165, Universidad de Extremadura) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 865 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-30 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Education Sciences (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2227-7102 • E-ISSN: 2227-7102 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/educsci16060865 |
| OpenAlex | W7163351078 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 21 |
Integrating sustainability into science education remains a key challenge for the design of contextualised, socially relevant instruction. Within this framework, integrated STEM education offers a promising avenue for connecting scientific concepts with socio-environmental problems through the analysis and development of technological solutions. This study examines the conceptual learning associated with a sustainability-oriented integrated STEM intervention implemented in real classroom settings in Primary Education and Compulsory Secondary Education. The intervention was designed based on a national curriculum analysis and was structured in two blocks: one centred on conceptual development of content related to water, energy, and waste, and another focused on applying this knowledge through the analysis and development of STEM projects. A single-group pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design was employed. The sample comprised 66 students: 43 in the third year of Compulsory Secondary Education and 23 in the sixth year of Primary Education. Conceptual learning was assessed using multiple-choice questionnaires adapted to each educational stage. The results indicate statistically significant improvements at both levels following the intervention, although the magnitude of the gains varied according to educational stage and conceptual domain. These findings provide empirical evidence of short-term conceptual changes associated with a sustainability-oriented STEM intervention and highlight the need for further research on its implementation in authentic school contexts
Compulsory education · Concept learning · Conceptual framework · Conceptual model · Content analysis · Curriculum · Empirical evidence · Science education · Sustainability · Environmental Education and Sustainability · Science Education and Pedagogy · Sustainability in Higher Education
STEM Project-Based Learning
A conceptual framework for integrated STEM education
Learning Our Way to Sustainability
Integrated STEM Education
Conceptual change
The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences
Integrated STEM for sustainability in school and early teacher education
A Systematic Literature Review of Integrated STEM Education
A cross-country comparison of climate change in middle school science and geography curricula
A review of project-based learning in higher education
STEM in the classroom
Learning for resilience, or the resilient learner? Towards a necessary reconciliation in a paradigm of sustainable education
Education for sustainable development in initial teacher training
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |