5E-STEM activities as a pathway to conceptual change in science learning

This study examined conceptual understanding, misconceptions, and conceptual associations among seventh-grade students learning force and energy through a 5E-based STEM framework enriched with conceptual change strategies. An exploratory quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design involved two intact classrooms (N = 43; experimental = 22, control = 21) in a public middle school in Adana, Türkiye. The experimental group received 5E-STEM instruction with conceptual change strategies, whereas the control group followed textbook-based 5E instruction without STEM activities or explicitly embedded conceptual change strategies. Data were collected using the three-tier Conceptual Understanding Test on Force and Energy and a Word Association Test. Holm-adjusted analyses showed significant within-group gains in overall A1, A2, and A3 scores and a decrease in MC3 for the experimental group, but no direct between-group comparisons remained significant after adjustment. WAT results descriptively indicated stronger post-test associations for several concept pairs. Findings suggest favorable exploratory patterns, but limited evidence of between-group differences.