Students' Reflective Learning in the Prototyping Process in STEM Education

This paper aims to present and discuss a study that we conducted to probe into junior secondary students' learning experiences in the prototyping process in STEM education, particularly their reflective experiences. In the course of developing their prototypes, the participants (N=75) were required to engage in reflecting on their learning process at the beginning, mid, and end, using the same open-ended questionnaire. Grounded theory analysis was employed to analyze the qualitative data collected through the questionnaire. In addition to unveiling their desirable learning experiences in the prototyping process, this research also revealed the challenges and difficulties they encountered, the corresponding support they needed, and the reflective changes they experienced. The findings showed that integrating reflective learning into the prototyping process is instrumental in understanding students' learning experiences in STEM education.