Repositioning students as digital content creators: creative thinking outcomes associated with Co-SPeL, a technology-integrated project-based learning model, in secondary science education

This study examined creative thinking outcomes associated with Contextual Sustainable Project Learning (Co-SPeL), a technology-integrated project-based learning (PjBL) model with structured digital dissemination, in secondary science education. A quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test design involved 210 Grade X students from three secondary schools in Tidore, North Maluku, Indonesia. Within each school, one intact class received Co-SPeL (n = 104) and one received conventional PjBL (n = 106). Creative thinking was assessed using a 12-item researcher-developed instrument (Cronbach’s α = 0.859). In the student-level analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), students in the Co-SPeL condition demonstrated higher adjusted post-test scores than those in the PjBL condition, F(1, 203) = 65.309, p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.243; adjusted means were 77.24 and 67.14, respectively. Because the instructional condition was assigned to intact classes, this difference reflects an observed association rather than a definitive treatment effect. Mean N-gain was 0.419 for Co-SPeL and 0.168 for PjBL. No variation in the adjusted group difference was detected across the three participating schools within the student-level model. Project documentation showed varied combinations of student-selected digital tools during dissemination. The findings indicate the potential of structured digital dissemination while supporting the need for broader, cluster-sensitive research.