Over time, societies’ expectations regarding the future workforce and education have changed and evolved. In this context, the development of higher-order thinking skills, which stand out among 21st-century skills, is recognized as a critical goal. To achieve this goal, a strong STEAM education that integrates Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics has been proposed. The present study aimed to investigate whether the characteristics of the target student group in STEAM education practices influence educational outcomes such as problem-solving skills and design thinking skills.
A mixed-methods research design, combining both quantitative and qualitative data, was employed. Within the scope of an ERASMUS+ project, an interdisciplinary STEAM education program based on real-life problems was implemented with two groups: the first group consisted of 11 gifted students from Türkiye, and the second group included 18 students from Portugal who had not been identified as gifted. The implementation of the nine STEAM lesson plans developed in two themes was carried out at similar times in the 2022-2023 academic year in the determined institutions of the two countries. In the Portugal school, each lesson plan was implemented two or three days a week for four weeks, with one lesson plan per day during class time. In the Turkish school, the activities were implemented in a total of four weeks, with one or two activities per day on weekends outside of class time.
The instructional content was designed in accordance with the 7E learning model (Elicitation, Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, Evaluation, and Extension) and included five lesson plans under the theme of “saving water” and four under the theme of “war.” The lesson plans were developed by subject matter experts to reflect real-world problems, with each plan incorporating a design dimension. With the support of language experts, the plans were translated into the students’ local languages. Prior to the intervention, participating teachers received training on STEAM education.
Data were collected through the Problem-Solving Confidence Questionnaire and the Design Thinking Mindset Scale, administered as both pre-tests and post-tests. Additionally, focus group interviews were conducted with both groups after the intervention.
The findings demonstrated that design thinking skills significantly improved in both average and gifted students. Moreover, while average students’ confidence in problem solving increased significantly, no significant change was observed in the problem-solving confidence of gifted students. Nevertheless, both groups expressed highly positive attitudes toward the intervention and reported various developmental benefits.
Overall, the results indicated that the use of the developed content was effective in fostering important skills for both gifted and average students, and that it was very positively received by the participants. Therefore, it can be concluded that an interdisciplinary STEAM program based on real-life problems is both applicable and dynamic for students across different intelligence groups. Consequently, it is suggested that integrated STEAM education programs grounded in real-life problems should be implemented for children with both average and high levels of intelligence, while considering the specific characteristics of the target group and the educational contexts of the countries in which they are taught.

Keywords: STEAM Education, Gifted and Talented Students, Design Thinking skills, Problem Solving Confidence.