The effect of project-based STEM education on scientific literacy and productive thinking skills of 7th grade students

In this century, it is important for individuals to be scientifically literate, trained in STEM fields and able to think productively, in order for individuals to adapt and contribute to the rapid changes in science and technology. In this research, it is aimed to examine the effects of project-based science, technology, engineering and mathematics (PB-STEM) education on the scientific literacy and productive thinking skills of students in the teaching of reproduction, growth and development of plants and animals. The study group of the research, which was designed and implemented as an action research, consists of 28 students studying in the seventh grade of a middle school in Giresun in the second semester of the 2018-2019 academic year. The action plan started with the (realizing) and definition of the problem. Then, solutions for the problem were developed and applied. The applications were applied for eight weeks (twelve hours of science lessons, six hours of science applications, extracurricular times) in 2019 April-May. In order to examine the effect of PB-STEM education on students' scientific literacy, "Scientific Literacy Scale" and "Reproduction, Growth and Development Academic Achievement Test in Plants and Animals" were applied as pre-test and post-test at the beginning and end of the application process. Quantitative data were analyzed statistically with the SPSS21 program. In order to examine the effect of the process on the productive thinking skills of the students, the solution suggestions produced by the students for the solution of the problem during the application process were recorded and examined with the "PB-STEM Activity Booklet", "camera recordings", "photographs". The qualitative data obtained were analyzed by discourse analysis. It was concluded that PB-STEM education applied during the action plan had a positive effect on the development of scientific literacy and productive thinking skills of seventh grade students. Suggestions were made for practitioners and researchers by making use of the results.