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<p>This study examines whether pre-service teachers who participate in mathematics-focused STEM project-based learning demonstrate enhanced mathematical creativity and spatial visualization skills. Pre-service teachers (<i>n</i> = 82) enrolled in a semester-long mathematics methods course were trained to teach mathematics through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) project-based learning, with explicit attention to the utility of mathematics (modeling and real-world applications) and the beauty of mathematics (pattern generalization and aesthetic reasoning). Quantitative results showed significant improvements in spatial visualization (<i>Cohen’s d</i> = 1.2) and mathematical creativity (<i>d</i> = 0.81). Qualitative analysis of interviews identified six themes, highlighting mathematical modeling as central to fostering creativity, engagement, and interdisciplinary reasoning. Pre-service teachers emphasized that mathematics was not procedural but a flexible, meaningful tool for interdisciplinary STEM projects. The findings suggest that mathematics-focused STEM project-based learning (PBL) can strengthen pre-service teachers’ spatial reasoning and creative thinking while positioning mathematics as both useful and beautiful within interdisciplinary STEM contexts.</p>

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Not Just the Utility of Mathematics but Its Beauty in the Context of STEM PBL

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月10日

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  • Ali Bicer,
  • Hyunyi Jung,
  • Tugce Aldemir,
  • Trina Davis,
  • Micayla Gooden,
  • Miriam Sanders,
  • Geoff Krall

摘要

This study examines whether pre-service teachers who participate in mathematics-focused STEM project-based learning demonstrate enhanced mathematical creativity and spatial visualization skills. Pre-service teachers (n = 82) enrolled in a semester-long mathematics methods course were trained to teach mathematics through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) project-based learning, with explicit attention to the utility of mathematics (modeling and real-world applications) and the beauty of mathematics (pattern generalization and aesthetic reasoning). Quantitative results showed significant improvements in spatial visualization (Cohen’s d = 1.2) and mathematical creativity (d = 0.81). Qualitative analysis of interviews identified six themes, highlighting mathematical modeling as central to fostering creativity, engagement, and interdisciplinary reasoning. Pre-service teachers emphasized that mathematics was not procedural but a flexible, meaningful tool for interdisciplinary STEM projects. The findings suggest that mathematics-focused STEM project-based learning (PBL) can strengthen pre-service teachers’ spatial reasoning and creative thinking while positioning mathematics as both useful and beautiful within interdisciplinary STEM contexts.