Interdisciplinary Thinking in STEM Education: Insights from Implementing the STEM-DTaM Model with Preservice Teachers

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education plays a crucial role in preparing future citizens to address real-world, interdisciplinary challenges; however, the mechanisms through which it fosters interdisciplinary thinking remain underexplored. This qualitative study examines how STEM education promotes interdisciplinary thinking among preservice teachers (PSTs) at a public university in Indonesia. Eighteen PSTs from Mathematics, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, and Computer Science Education participated in a STEM-DTaM (STEM with Design Thinking and Makerspace) learning sequence spanning 14 lessons over two months. Data were collected through observations, self-reflective journals, and learning artefacts. The findings show that STEM learning supports interdisciplinary thinking by enabling participants to integrate diverse disciplinary perspectives into more comprehensive understandings and solutions. Key enabling features included engagement with an authentic local problem, interdisciplinary collaboration, makerspace-supported prototyping, and community-based feedback. This study provides insights that bridge theory and practice, offering practical strategies for implementing interdisciplinary STEM learning in teacher education.