Exploring Preservice Teachers' Design Thinking Mindset in a Technology-Enhanced Active Learning Environment for STEM Courses
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| Title: | Exploring Preservice Teachers' Design Thinking Mindset in a Technology-Enhanced Active Learning Environment for STEM Courses |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Areej ElSayary |
| Source: | Online Learning. 2026 30(1):213-245. |
| Availability: | Online Learning Consortium, Inc. P.O. Box 1238, Newburyport, MA 01950. Tel: 888-898-6209; Fax: 888-898-6209; e-mail: olj@onlinelearning-c.org; Web site: https://olj.onlinelearningconsortium.org/index.php/olj/index |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 33 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education Early Childhood Education |
| Descriptors: | Preservice Teachers, Design, Thinking Skills, Technology Uses in Education, Active Learning, STEM Education, Early Childhood Education, Preservice Teacher Education, Foreign Countries, Teacher Certification, Self Efficacy, Transformative Learning, Interdisciplinary Approach, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Technological Literacy |
| Geographic Terms: | United Arab Emirates |
| ISSN: | 2472-5749 2472-5730 |
| Abstract: | 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. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1508216 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | 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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| ISSN: | 2472-5749 2472-5730 |
