From Sustainability Concepts to STEM Projects: Conceptual Learning Following an Integrated STEM Intervention in Primary and Secondary Education

Integrating sustainability into science education remains a key challenge for the design of contextualised, socially relevant instruction. Within this framework, integrated STEM education offers a promising avenue for connecting scientific concepts with socio-environmental problems through the analysis and development of technological solutions. This study examines the conceptual learning associated with a sustainability-oriented integrated STEM intervention implemented in real classroom settings in Primary Education and Compulsory Secondary Education. The intervention was designed based on a national curriculum analysis and was structured in two blocks: one centred on conceptual development of content related to water, energy, and waste, and another focused on applying this knowledge through the analysis and development of STEM projects. A single-group pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design was employed. The sample comprised 66 students: 43 in the third year of Compulsory Secondary Education and 23 in the sixth year of Primary Education. Conceptual learning was assessed using multiple-choice questionnaires adapted to each educational stage. The results indicate statistically significant improvements at both levels following the intervention, although the magnitude of the gains varied according to educational stage and conceptual domain. These findings provide empirical evidence of short-term conceptual changes associated with a sustainability-oriented STEM intervention and highlight the need for further research on its implementation in authentic school contexts.