Exploring Preservice Teachers’ Design Thinking Mindset in a Technology-Enhanced Active Learning Environment for STEM Courses
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v30i1.4840Keywords:
Design thinking mindset, technology-enhanced active learning environment, interdisciplinary STEM courses, transformative learning, technological pedagogical content knowledgeAbstract
This study explores how a technology-enhanced active learning environment, supported by interactive technologies, may influence preservice teachers’ perceptions of their design thinking (DT) mindsets in interdisciplinary STEM courses. Using a blend of digital tools and the design thinking process, the research aimed to engage students in activities that promote key DT traits, including managing uncertainty, empathy, mindfulness, collaboration, learning orientation, and creative confidence. Ninety-four preservice teachers from an early childhood education program in a UAE university participated, receiving two weeks of intensive training on digital tools (e.g., Genially, Canva, PowToon, AR/VR apps), concluding in earning an Apple Teaching Certificate. These tools were later utilized to facilitate key components of the DT process, including user empathy, iterative prototyping, and collaborative challenge design, thereby directly supporting the development of DT mindsets within a technology-enhanced framework. This study employed an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach, beginning with quantitative analysis (mean, standard deviation, and one-sample t-test) and followed by qualitative insights from focus groups. Findings suggest a perceived positive shift across all DT mindset categories, with students reporting enhanced confidence in tackling complex challenges using technology-driven and collaborative techniques. These results should be interpreted with caution due to the absence of baseline (pre-test) data. Nevertheless, they highlight the potential of technology-enhanced active learning frameworks to support the development of mindsets revealed to be effective in STEM education.
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