BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In environmental science and management, higher education plays a critical role in preparing future professionals capable of designing sustainable energy solutions. However, conventional physics instruction often emphasizes theoretical knowledge over interdisciplinary and sustainability-oriented problem-solving skills. The study objectives were to evaluate the effectiveness of integrating renewable energy–based science, technology, engineering and mathematics projects into physics education in enhancing students’ creativity and environmentally oriented innovation competencies. Specifically, the study investigates how project-based learning focused on solar and wind energy systems contributes to productivity, fluency, and originality in creative thinking within a sustainability framework.METHODS: A quasi-experimental research design was employed involving 58 third-year physics students at Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University. Participants were divided into experimental (n = 29) and control (n = 29) groups. Over a 15-week academic semester, the experimental group engaged in interdisciplinary science, technology, engineering and mathematics projects centered on renewable energy system modeling, environmental impact awareness, and applied engineering design solutions. The control group followed traditional lecture-based instruction. Students’ creativity levels were assessed before and after the intervention using a structured self-assessment instrument measuring productivity, fluency, and originality. Statistical analyses were conducted using statistical package for the social sciences software, including independent samples t-tests and Levene’s test to examine group differences and homogeneity of variance.FINDINGS: Post-intervention results demonstrated statistically significant improvements (p < 0.05, probability level of less than five percent) in all measured creativity dimensions among students participating in renewable energy–based science, technology, engineering and mathematics projects compared to the control group. The experimental group showed higher mean scores in productivity, fluency, and originality, indicating enhanced capacity for generating innovative and environmentally sustainable solutions. The findings suggest that engagement in applied renewable energy projects strengthens interdisciplinary thinking and promotes sustainability-oriented problem-solving skills in physics education.CONCLUSION: The study confirms that sustainability-driven project-based learning can serve as an effective pedagogical strategy for fostering innovative thinking required to address contemporary environmental and energy challenges. Although limited to a single institutional context, the results support the incorporation of renewable energy projects into higher education as a pathway to developing environmentally conscious and creative professionals aligned with global sustainability goals.
Dossymov et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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