Integrating story-based STEM design challenges in early childhood curricula: An activity theory perspective

The Maker Movement has emerged as a significant cultural phenomenon in the twenty-first century. Stemming from the Maker Movement, the STEM design challenge aims to foster children’s utilization of interdisciplinary knowledge and creative skills to address real-world problems. This study devised the Story-based STEM Design Challenge (SSDC) by integrating storytelling with the STEM Design Challenge. A total of six classrooms, including 12 teachers and 164 children, voluntarily participated in this study. Through the teacher training workshop and the implementation of the SSDC, data related to teachers and children were obtained from the sources of teacher interviews, group discussion, pedagogical documents, and videotaped classroom observations. Results revealed that there were both facilitators (i.e., support from existing kindergarten curricula, stakeholders’ recognition, and assistance of pedagogical tools) and barriers (i.e., constraints within the participating kindergarten, insufficient experience of teachers in STEM fields, limitations of young children’s current abilities and knowledge) when introducing the SSDC in early education settings in China. This research offers valuable insights for implementing STEM design challenges and provides practical guidance and suggestions for educators interested in this field. Copyright © 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.