TY  - JOUR
T1  - Investigating the Impact of Toy Design on 6th Grade Students’ Analogical Reasoning, Problem-Solving, and Engineering Design Skills: The Case of Support and Movement Systems
TT  - Oyuncak Tasarımlarının 6. Sınıf Öğrencilerinin Analojik Akıl Yürütme, Problem Çözme ve Mühendislik Tasarım Becerileri Üzerine Etkisinin İncelenmesi: Destek ve Hareket Sistemi
AU  - Göktuna, Ecem
AU  - Şahin, Fatma
PY  - 2025
DA  - August
Y2  - 2025
DO  - 10.21733/ibad.1661500
JF  - IBAD Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi
JO  - IBAD
PB  - Hayrullah KAHYA
WT  - DergiPark
SN  - 2687-2811
SP  - 237
EP  - 266
IS  - 18
LA  - en
AB  - Toys are commonly used as educational tools for children. Beyond supporting their pedagogical development, children also explore and make sense of their environment through play and toys. The use of toys in education has become increasingly widespread over time, as they help foster skills such as exploration, inquiry, collaboration, and understanding cause-and-effect relationships. Activities like toy-making further contribute to the development of engineering-related skills in children, which are integral to the widely adopted STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) approach. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of a STEM-based instructional approach supported by toy design on 6th-grade students’ analogical reasoning, problem-solving, and engineering design skills within the context of support and movement systems. The study group consisted of 28 6th-grade middle school students. The topic was selected based on the 2018 Turkish Science Curriculum. A mixed-methods research design was employed. The quantitative phase utilized a one-group pre-test/post-test experimental design, while the qualitative phase involved content analysis of students’ design products. Data were collected using the Analogical Reasoning Test, the Problem-Solving Skills Questionnaire, and the Engineering Design Rubric. Both quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods were applied. The findings showed that toy design activities related to support and movement systems significantly improved students’ analogical reasoning, problem-solving abilities, and engineering design skills.
KW  - STEM
KW  - Analogical Reasoning Skills
KW  - Problem Solving Skills
KW  - Engineering Design Skills
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UR  - https://doi.org/10.21733/ibad.1661500
L1  - https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/4707102
ER  -