Gabor Klima

5.16 A STEAM Research Project in Public Education System. Results and Frameworks. (Paper)

Gabor Klima – Hungarian University of Fine Arts, Budapest, Hungary

Abstract:

In my presentation, I will demonstrate three pedagogical experiments based on the STEAM pedagogy methodology. The three experiments took place between 2019 and 2024 and are part of my research on the applicability of STEAM methods in the Hungarian secondary school visual education context. The main focus of the presentation will be to describe the projects’ results, and the toolkit and methodology used in the STEAM research.

The backbone of the research design was the Design Based Research (DBR) methodology. Other research methodologies were also used under the umbrella method. Classroom observations, case studies, interviews, and protocols formed the basis of the research. Reflexivity, understood as a research methodology, was also an important factor in the experiments. In the first part of the presentation, I will briefly describe the research and the approaches I used. I will illustrate with examples the working mechanisms and effects of the different methods at different stages of the experiments. In the second part of the presentation, I will discuss student work and teaching-learning programs.

Programs based on STEAM methods have been tested in several schools with a varied curriculum, with the best results being achieved in the general secondary school and the mathematics integration. STEAM methods can be applied with some modifications and adaptation to the specific context and possibilities of public education. The teacher’s personality was a key factor because, as with other reform pedagogical methods, extra motivation on the part of the teacher was needed. My experiments have demonstrated the usefulness of introducing creative and artistic methods in science education.