SALIM ALHARMALI
Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat
Scientific curiosity is regarded as an important driver of students’ attention and desire to acquire knowledge or information in response to experience, even in the absence of external rewards. It may be accompanied by emotional responses, heightened arousal, or exploratory behavior. Several studies have reported a marked decline in students’ scientific curiosity during physics activities. Accordingly, this mixed-methods study adopted a convergent parallel design to investigate the effectiveness of integrating the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) approach with the Engineering Design Process (EDP) in physics instruction to enhance scientific curiosity among Grade 10 students. The quantitative component employed a quasi-experimental design involving experimental and control groups comprising male and female students (N = 109). The experimental group was assigned to be instructed using the integrated STEM–EDP approach, whereas the control group received conventional instruction. Quantitative data were collected using a translated scientific curiosity scale comprising three dimensions, while qualitative data were collected through structured observation. A one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to analyze posttest scores. The quantitative findings revealed statistically significant differences (α ≤ .05) between the two groups adjusted mean scores, favoring the experimental group, on the overall scientific curiosity scale and on the engagement and scientific practices dimensions. However, no statistically significant difference was found between the groups on the expansion dimension. The qualitative findings corroborated these results. Considering these findings, the study recommends integrating the STEM–EDP approach into physics instruction to foster scientific curiosity, given its positive implications for various dimensions of teaching and learning.