M. Al-Hinai, Mohamed A. Shahat, Ehab Omara, Mahmoud M. Emam, Sameh S. Ismail, Nabil Alhabsi, Khoula Zahir Alhosni, Mohammed Al-Amri, Amur Al-Yahmedi, Yasser M. Fawzy, Sulaiman M. Al‐Balushi
This study investigates how using the Engineering Design Process (EDP) to deliver culturally contextualized STEM education can enhance problem-solving skills and motivation among fourth-grade students in Oman, while also examining whether these outcomes differ by gender. Using a quasi-experimental design, 118 students participated in either a STEM-based instructional intervention or a traditional science curriculum. The intervention featured hands-on, inquiry-driven, and locally meaningful tasks that directly reflect students’ real environmental and cultural experiences in Oman. These included constructing weather-resistant animal shelters, designing floating paper boats, creating chocolate molds suited for warm climates, and developing low-cost oil-spill cleanup solutions using readily available local materials. These contextually grounded challenges, highlighted as a central strength of the study, demonstrate how the EDP can authentically align global STEM competencies with regional realities. The findings revealed preliminary evidence of improvements in the problem-solving dimensions of problem identification, planning, and production, as well as in motivational factors such as responsibility and engagement. However, no significant gains were observed in self-efficacy or peer collaboration, indicating areas for future instructional enhancement. This study underscores the value of culturally responsive, practice-based STEM pedagogy and provides initial insights into the use of contextualized, performance-based assessments to explore students’ cognitive and motivational development in primary STEM education.