Modelling Sound in Primary Education: A Qualitative Case Study of a STEAM-Based Didactic Sequence

Teaching sound in Primary Education poses specific challenges because students are required to explain an everyday phenomenon whose physical functioning is not directly observable. This study examines how fifth-grade Primary Education students construct and transform their understanding of sound through a STEAM-based didactic sequence implemented in a real classroom context. A qualitative case study was conducted with two fifth-grade classes from a public school in Zaragoza, Spain, involving 41 students. Three sources of evidence were collected: students’ productions, observational records kept by the first author acting as teacher-researcher, and the final product of the sequence. The corpus comprised 97 meaning units, defined as segments of student discourse representing distinct explanatory ideas. Qualitative content analysis revealed a progression from phenomenological, substantialist, or poorly articulated explanations towards formulations closer to the school scientific model of sound. Progress was especially evident in students’ understanding of vibration as the origin of sound, the need for a material medium for sound propagation, and the application of the model to new situations. This study contributes to science education by showing how a STEAM-based modelling sequence can support the progressive development of scientific explanations in Primary Education. Overall, the findings suggest that integrating physical exploration, listening, sound production, and the construction of a final product can effectively support school modelling processes related to sound.