DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF E-TEXTILE SUPPORTED STEAM-BASED ACTIVITIES FOR THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHERS

Aug 21, 2026

This study explores design principles for an e-textile-based STEAM training program and evaluates how STEAM activities are designed, developed, and tested for usability. Design-based research guides the process, beginning with pilot iterations and leading to a STEAM module containing seven hands-on activities. The module is implemented in two independent five-day science teacher camps with 20 and 19 teachers. Interview data are triangulated with observations, pre/post open-ended questions, survey results, and design artifacts. Qualitative analysis yields five themes: experiences and opinions, perceived benefits, challenges, and transfer of camp learning, and the study provides design principles and guidelines for STEAM educational camps.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages429

Reading Time18 h 1 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Study design and implementation

Data collection and analysis

Findings and design principles

Keywords

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF E-TEXTILE SUPPORTED STEAMBASED ACTIVITIES FOR THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHERS A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF NATURAL AND APPLIED SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY MUSTAFA ŞAT IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN COMPUTER EDUCATION AND INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY JANUARY 2023 Approval of the thesis: DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF E-TEXTILE SUPPORTED STEAMBASED ACTIVITIES FOR THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHERS submitted by MUSTAFA ŞAT in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Education and Instructional Technology, Middle East Technical University by, Prof. Dr. Halil Kalıpçılar Dean, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences Prof. Dr. Soner Yıldırım Head of the Department, Computer Education and Instructional Technology Asst. Prof. Dr. Göknur Kaplan Supervisor, Computer Education and Instructional Technology Prof. Dr. Kürşat Çağıltay Co-Supervisor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Sabancı University Examining Committee Members: Prof. Dr. Hasan Çakır Computer Education and Instructional Tech., Gazi University Asst. Prof. Dr. Göknur Kaplan Computer Education and Instructional Technology, METU Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sedef Canbazoğlu Bilici Mathematics and Science Education, Gazi University Prof. Dr. Zahide Yıldırım Computer Education and Instructional Technology, METU Asst. Prof. Dr. Zafer Kadırhan Software Engineering, Ankara University Date: 06/01/2023 I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name Last name: Mustafa Şat Signature: ABSTRACT DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF E-TEXTILE SUPPORTED STEAMBASED ACTIVITIES FOR THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHERS Şat, Mustafa Doctor of Philosophy, Computer Education and Instructional Technology Supervisor: Asst. Prof. Dr. Göknur Kaplan Co-Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Kürşat Çağıltay January 2023, 411 pages This study aims to explore the design principles for an e-textile-based STEAM training program, to examine the design, development, and usability issues of the STEAM activities, and to investigate the extent to which science teachers can apply STEAM training camp results in their courses. Design-based research was adopted for the study. After a few rounds of piloting with different samples, a STEAM module with seven hands-on activities was prepared and then applied to two independent groups of science teachers in two five-day-long camps: 20 and 19 teachers respectively. The primary data source, the interviews, was triangulated with observations, pre-and-post open-ended questions, survey data, and design artifacts. The qualitative inspection of the data resulted in five themes: experiences and opinions, perceived benefits, challenges, and transfer of camp learning and experiences. The study also provided design principles for STEAM activities. The study findings showed that teachers mostly grappled with crafting a project design with the artistic merits and values, designing a fully functioning circuit, doing short-circuiting, drawing a design sketch, making the transition from sketch to project design, and sewing an electronic circuit into the fabric. Moreover, teachers are fairly convinced that they can transfer skills and practical experiences of the camp into the classroom. Also, teachers suggested that interdisciplinary collaboration must be established not only in the preparation of the activities but also in the implementation process. Additionally, engaging in STEAM activities is perce

FAQs

What is the goal of the study?

The study aims to identify design principles for an e-textile-based STEAM training program, examine design/development/usability issues of STEAM activities, and investigate how science teachers can apply camp results in their courses.

How was the STEAM module prepared and implemented?

Design-based research with several piloting rounds led to a module with seven hands-on activities, which was applied to two independent groups of science teachers in two five-day-long camps.

What themes emerged from the qualitative analysis?

The data analysis resulted in five themes: experiences and opinions, perceived benefits, challenges, and transfer of camp learning and experiences.

Aug 21, 2026

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