Scale development study to determine the effect of STEM education on innovative thinking"

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics); It is a holistic educational approach that centers on the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics and provides a connection between four fields. Using 21st century skills, using a STEM education approach that associates different disciplines is very important in terms of innovative thinking. In addition to the educational community, the introduction of new approaches in economic, social, cultural and administrative environments is also changing the innovative thinking skills of individuals. In this context, the aim of the education systems of the countries should be to educate individuals who have a multidisciplinary understanding and think innovatively. The aim of this study is to develop a scale to determine the effect of STEM education on innovative thinking. The sample of the study consists of secondary school students who have received STEM education. The trial application form of the scale was created by the researcher by reviewing the literature and taking the opinions of the experts. The draft scale was applied to secondary school students who had received STEM education. After the application of the draft scale, exploratory factor analysis was performed with SPSS program and confirmatory factor analysis was performed with Lisrel program for construct validity. As a result, a measurement tool called "Scale of the Impact of STEM on Innovative Thinking" consisting of 39 items and 2 dimensions was developed. Our study is an original study planned with the idea that it will help every researcher working in the field of STEM and innovative thinking. Keywords: STEM, innovative thinking, middle school students, scale development, innovation