EFFECTS OF STEM PROJECT-BASED LEARNING ON ELECTRICITY ACHIEVEMENT, CRITICAL THINKING, AND INTEREST IN RURAL PHYSICS EDUCATION IN P. R. CHINA
EFFECTS OF STEM PROJECT-BASED LEARNING ON ELECTRICITY ACHIEVEMENT, CRITICAL THINKING, AND INTEREST IN RURAL PHYSICS EDUCATION IN P. R. CHINA

Summary/Abstract: STEM-integrated project-based learning (STEM-PjBL) can support science learning, but evidence from under-resourced rural schools in P. R. China remains limited. This study developed a low-cost STEM-integrated project-based learning module on electricity (STEM-E-PjBL, where “E” denotes electricity) and examined its effects on Grade 9 students’ electricity achievement, critical thinking skills, and science learning interest. A pragmatist mixed-methods approach was used, combining a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest nonequivalent control-group design with semi-structured interviews. One hundred students from two intact classes in one rural middle school participated. The experimental group (n = 50) completed the six-week STEM-E-PjBL module, whereas the control group (n = 50) received conventional physics lessons. Quantitative data were collected using an electricity achievement test, a critical thinking scale, and a science learning interest questionnaire. Thirty experimental-group students were interviewed and classified as high-, medium-, or low-gain students according to their pretest-posttest gains on the electricity achievement test, enabling differentiated analysis of students’ learning experiences. ANCOVA showed significant experimental-group advantages in all three outcomes, with large effect sizes. Interviews indicated that hands-on activities, authentic contexts, and collaborative inquiry supported understanding, reasoning, motivation, and engagement, with different gain groups emphasizing different forms of support and learning value. The STEM-E-PjBL module offers a feasible approach for improving rural students’ electricity learning and supporting equitable STEM education.

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