Integrated Science Education Journal
Vol 7 No 4 (2026): July

Effectiveness of Reverse Engineering STEM-ESD on Students’ Creative Problem-Solving Ability: A Quasi-Experimental SDG-12 Topic Study

Syifa Nur Shadrina (Indonesia University of Education)
Riandi Riandi (Indonesia University of Education)
Ari Widodo (Indonesia University of Education)



Article Info

Publish Date
28 Jul 2026

Abstract

Purpose of the study: This study examines the effectiveness of a Reverse Engineering-based STEM-Education for Sustainable Development (STEM-ESD) learning model in improving tenth-grade students’ Creative Problem Solving (CPS) Thinking ability on the SDG-12 topic, compared with an Engineering Design Process-based STEM-ESD (STEM-EDP) model and conventional instruction. Methodology: A mixed-methods explanatory sequential design combined a quasi-experimental non-equivalent control-group pretest–posttest design with 108 tenth-grade students in three intact classes (STEM-RE, STEM-EDP, and Control) at a public senior high school in Bandung, purposively selected at the class level, and semi-structured interviews with 9 purposively selected students. Quantitative data were analyzed using normalized gain (N-Gain), the Shapiro–Wilk normality test, the Kruskal–Wallis test, and the Mann–Whitney post hoc test with Bonferroni correction in SPSS; qualitative data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis. Main Findings: The STEM-RE group achieved the most consistent improvement in CPS Thinking across all four indicators (N-Gain = 0.255–0.301), with statistically significant differences among the three groups (Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney, p < 0.05). Idea flexibility was the only indicator to reach the moderate category, while the STEM-EDP group showed fluctuating, low-category gains and the Control group showed negligible or negative change. Novelty/Originality of this study: This study provides indicator-level comparative evidence that a Reverse Engineering-based STEM-ESD sequence, contextually integrated with SDG-12, produces more consistent CPS Thinking gains than an Engineering Design Process-based alternative within the same sustainability context a comparison not previously reported thereby advancing both creative problem-solving pedagogy and sustainability-oriented science education.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

ISEJ

Publisher

Subject

Education Social Sciences

Description

Covers all the Integrated Science Education Journal (ISEJ) at the level of primary, secondary, senior, and higher education. The goal of this journal is to bring together researchers and practitioners from academia and industry to focus on Educational advancements and establishing new collaborations ...