A content analysis of STEM activities in graduate theses regarding the characteristics of integrated STEM education

This study aims to evaluate the activities in graduate theses that incorporate STEM applications in science education, based on the Integrated STEM Practices Framework developed by Roehrig, Dare, Ellis, and Ring-Whalen (2021). Master's and doctoral theses selected from the National Thesis Center database using the keywords "middle school," "STEM," and "STEAM" were taken as the sample and analyzed through document analysis. The theses included in the study were determined based on criteria that they target middle school students (grades 5-8), integrate at least two distinct STEM or STEAM fields, and contain clearly defined applications. According to the analysis results, while 8 of the examined theses did not present any problem situations, 145 activities included only a single problem situation. It was found that real-life problems were addressed in 94.5% of the STEM activities in master's theses and 91.4% of those in doctoral theses. The theme of the environment emerged as the most frequently preferred theme in STEM activities. Additionally, an interdisciplinary approach was adopted in 19.8% (f=18). In doctoral theses, an interdisciplinary approach was preferred in 58.6% (f=41) of STEM activities, while a multidisciplinary approach was adopted in 40.0% (f=28). It was determined that 95% of the implemented activities included real-life problems; however, only 4.3% of these problem situations were identified by the students themselves. The rates of providing information about STEM careers were measured as 61% in master's theses and 77.1% in doctoral theses. These findings indicate that while real-life problems are widely utilized in STEM education, student-centered problem identification processes remain limited, and interdisciplinary approaches are more frequently preferred. The study aims to contribute to understanding the impact of integrated STEM practices at the middle school level. In this context, it seeks to shed light on critical issues such as how the integration of STEM disciplines into educational practices is achieved, the extent to which alignment with real-world problems is ensured, and the degree to which engineering skills are emphasized, thereby aiming to guide teachers and STEM practitioners in designing and implementing integrated STEM applications more effectively.