Rif’ati Dina Handayani, Albertus Djoko Lesmono, Srihandono Budi Prastowo, Bambang Supriadi, Nila Mutia Dewi, Kharisma Rafian Azis, Mohammad Anas Thohir

Exploring Students’ Engineering Design Thinking in The Renewable Energy Topic: A Case of Problem Identification and Developing Ideas and Plans

Introduction

Exploring students’ engineering design thinking in the renewable energy topic: a case of problem identification and developing ideas and plans. Explore students' Engineering Design Thinking (EDT) in renewable energy. Learn how EDT fosters critical thinking, creativity, and innovative solutions for 21st-century skills.

Abstract

Science learning provides an opportunity to prepare students with 21st-century Engineering Design Thinking skills (EDT). EDT is a means of looking at and addressing daily real-world problems that greatly need solutions. This study aims to explore students’ EDT skills on alternative energy issues, specifically problem identification and developing ideas and plans. This research is a qualitative exploratory study in a senior high school in the Jember district. The learning design in this study uses the Science Learning through Engineering Design (SLED) models. Research data was gathered through observation and students’ worksheet documents. Content analysis is used as an approach to analyzing data. The results indicated that EDT trains students’ thinking processes to become more critical through problem identification and creativity in developing new ideas and imagination. EDT provides opportunities for students to combine their creativity and critical thinking to produce innovative design solutions. It improves students' epistemic comprehension while studying and helps them acquire relevant knowledge. This research is expected to be supplementary information for teachers to integrate EDT into their learning so that students can achieve meaningfulness and epistemic understanding.

Review

This paper, titled "Exploring Students’ Engineering Design Thinking in The Renewable Energy Topic: A Case of Problem Identification and Developing Ideas and Plans," investigates the cultivation of Engineering Design Thinking (EDT) skills, specifically focusing on problem identification and the generation of ideas and plans, among senior high school students. The study, conducted as a qualitative exploratory research in Jember district, employed the Science Learning through Engineering Design (SLED) model. Data were gathered through observations and analysis of student worksheets, with content analysis used as the primary analytical approach. The authors highlight EDT's role in equipping students with 21st-century skills to address real-world challenges, presenting it as a vital component of contemporary science learning. The study addresses a highly relevant educational imperative by exploring how EDT can be integrated into science learning, particularly within the crucial context of renewable energy. The qualitative exploratory design, along with the use of the SLED model and triangulation of data sources (observation and worksheets), provides a solid methodological framework for an in-depth understanding of student cognitive processes. The abstract effectively conveys the study's aim and methods. However, while the findings suggest that EDT trains critical thinking and creativity, and improves epistemic comprehension, the results are presented in a somewhat generalized manner. To enhance the impact and clarity, the full paper would benefit from providing more concrete examples or specific categories of "innovative design solutions" or detailed instances of improved "epistemic comprehension" to substantiate these claims. Further details on the "case," such as the number of participants or duration of the intervention, would also strengthen the reported findings. The research holds significant practical implications for educators, particularly in demonstrating how EDT can be effectively integrated into science curricula to promote meaningful learning and foster essential 21st-century skills. The paper's stated aim to provide supplementary information for teachers is commendable, offering a valuable resource for pedagogical innovation. For future contributions, it would be beneficial for the full manuscript to expand on the specific nuances of the SLED implementation, including detailed examples of prompts or tasks given to students. Further research could explore the long-term impact of EDT interventions, the transferability of these skills across different problem domains, or even comparative studies to evaluate the efficacy of SLED against other instructional approaches in developing higher-order thinking skills.

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