Integrating STEAM Education and Computational Thinking: Analysis of Students’ Critical and Creative Thinking Skills in an Innovative Teaching and Learning

Teaching and learning in the 21st century should equip students with critical and creative thinking skills to be ready to live and contribute productively to society. One suitable learning approach is integrating STEAM education and computational thinking—the STEAM-CT approach. The present study aims to describe students' critical and creative thinking skills in STEAM-CT integrative learning. The descriptive qualitative method was employed in this study. The current study included 26 eighth-grade students from a private middle school in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. According to the analysis, the students demonstrated critical and creative thinking skills during the integrative STEAM-CT learning process, particularly in planning problem solving, flexibility in providing problem solutions, and the aesthetics of their product designs. However, students must still be encouraged to conduct in-depth evaluations and use the results for improvement. For recommendation, to promote students' critical and creative thinking skills, feedback practices could be embedded in teaching and learning.


Introduction
Uncertainty and complexity in the twenty-first century necessitate a learning transformation.Learning in the twenty-first century should prepare students to work, live, and become productive citizens in the face of a variety of challenges (Kristanto, 2020).At least this learning needs to equip students with critical and creative thinking skills (Ritter et al., 2020;Shavelson et al., 2019;Van Laar et al., 2020).Both of these skills are important to use in dealing with the emergence of new technologies, especially information and communication technologies that make it easier to move, present, manipulate, and re-present information (Almerich et al., 2020;Higgins, 2014).
Even though critical and creative thinking skills are crucial, many students still lack critical thinking and creativity.A study conducted by Benyamin et al. (2021) discovered that the majority of their subjects' students had moderate or low critical thinking skills.This result is consistent with that revealed by Wayudi et al. (2020).Apart from these two studies, several studies also have demonstrated the need to enhance student's critical thinking skills (Agnafia, 2019;Hidayat et al., 2019;Hidayati et al., 2021;Li et al., 2021;Ridho et al., 2020).
Similar to the problem of critical thinking skills, many students still have low creative thinking skills.A study conducted by Rasnawati et al. (2019) unveiled that the vocational high school students who were their subjects had low creative thinking skills.Rachman and Amelia (2020) also found similar results, specifically, the creative thinking skills of high school students who were their subjects were lacking.Several other studies corroborate the findings of these studies.(Kadir et al., 2022;Siregar, 2019;Suparman & Zanthy, 2019).
is the process of breaking down a complex problem into smaller problems in order to make the problem easier to understand, handle, or manage.The search for similarities between different problems is referred to as pattern recognition.Focusing on important information while ignoring irrelevant details is what abstraction entails.The final dimension, algorithm, refers to the process of creating steps or rules to solve problems.The four CT dimensions can be embedded in STEAM learning activities (Barr & Stephenson, 2011).
CT support in teaching and learning is often carried out using computers, especially programming.It is because programming includes making computer-readable instructions so that the computer can complete specific tasks or problems (Wang et al., 2022).It is in line with one of the dimensions of CT, namely the algorithm.Programming is also essential to support critical tasks related to CT (Grover & Pea, 2013).The programming activities are also often integrated into STEAM education, such as using Scratch (Oh et al., 2013;Tan et al., 2020) and Lego Mindstorm (Ding et al., 2019;Ruiz et al., 2019).
CT support in teaching and learning can also be implemented without the use of a computer.This strategy is appropriate for implementation in schools that lack technological infrastructure (Brackmann et al., 2017).Thus, integrating CT and STEAM education has a greater potential to be widely implemented.Furthermore, this integration in learning that does not use computers or other expensive technology makes it easier for teachers or other practitioners to adopt or adapt it (Padmi et al., 2022).
In summary, on the one hand, critical and creative thinking skills are two essential skills for students to live and contribute productively in the 21st century.On the other hand, many students still lack these two skills.STEAM education that supports the development of CT, which hereinafter we refer to as STEAM-CT, can potentially develop students' critical and creative thinking skills.Such teaching and learning can be implemented without a computer so that learning activities can be widely adopted or adapted.Therefore, the present study aimed to analyze students' critical and creative thinking skills in the STEAM-CT approach, which did not use computers or other digital technologies.

Methods
The present study employed a descriptive qualitative method.This method is employed to achieve the research objectives because it is appropriate for describing events or experiences and seeking in-depth knowledge of the phenomena being studied (Kim et al., 2017;Neergaard et al., 2009).

Learning Design
The STEAM-CT approach in the present study provided experiences for students to design and develop seesaw miniatures that are fun, efficient, and safe.The training was conducted over four meetings.At each meeting, respectively, the students (1) imagine and design a seesaw; (2) create the designed seesaw; (3) test and present the seesaw; and (4) improve and reflect on the seesaw.
During the first meeting, students imagined and designed a seesaw that meets three criteria: fun, efficiency, and safety.Students were guided to learn art, simple machines, the types and strengths of the constituent materials, and linear functions while decomposing the characteristics of the seesaw.With this knowledge, the students devised a list of the tools and materials required, sketched the design, and planned the sequential steps that would be used to construct the seesaw.
Students made seesaws at the second meeting, using the tools and materials planned and the design sketches drawn at the first meeting.Students did this by listing and explaining what needs to be considered when building a seesaw.In addition, the students were asked to analyze and explain what influences the balance of the seesaw.
Students tested and presented their seesaws at the third meeting.They tested the seesaw and evaluated it to discover if it was enjoyable, efficient, and safe.They also analyzed areas for improvement and observed the seesaw patterns of other groups to inspire them to improve their own.Following that, the students presented their seesaws in classical.
In the fourth meeting, students improved their seesaw and reflected on their learning experiences.The learning activities at this meeting began with decomposing the steps to improve the seesaw.After that, students identified the variables so that the seesaw fits the fun, efficient, and safety criteria.Finally, students reflected on their learning experiences to abstract the factors that support successful seesaw development.They also modelled the seesaw using linear functions.
Table 1 illustrates the learning experiences mapping in each meeting with STEAM content and CT dimensions.The learning design was discussed with the Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Arts teachers of the students who were the subjects of the present study.

Research Subject
The subjects of the present study were 26 eighth-grade students, consisting of 14 boys and 12 girls.All of the subjects came from one class at a private junior high school in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.The subject selection was conducted by first discussing with the teachers so that the selected students were usually active and had good verbal skills.Thus, the data obtained from these subjects can provide rich and valuable information about their critical and creative thinking skills (Campbell et al., 2020;Kelly, 2010).

Data Collection
The data in the present study were the students' answers in their worksheets and the seesaw construction they created.The sequence of the questions and instructions in the worksheet is adjusted to the EDP cycle (see Appendix A).The questions and instructions in the worksheet are also structured following indicators of critical and creative thinking skills, as shown in Table 2. Critical thinking skills indicators are obtained by synthesizing critical thinking skills indicators from Ennis (2015), Sihotang et al. (2012), and Wade (1995).Formulating the problem, gathering facts, planning, devising a strategy, and providing additional explanation were the obtained critical thinking skills indicators.The indicators of creative thinking skills were synthesized from Treffinger et al. (2002), Mahmudi (2010), and Guilford (1976).The synthesis obtained four indicators: fluency, flexibility, authenticity, and detailedness.These indicators were used to create tasks in student worksheets as well as guidelines for scoring students' products.Table 2 depicts the mapping of indicators of critical and creative thinking skills, student worksheet tasks, and student products.

Data Analysis
The data analysis process began with the development of a rubric for scoring student answers on worksheets and the products they created.The rubric is divided into two parts: a rubric for students' worksheet answers and the resulting seesaw product.
Each item on the worksheet has a maximum score of 10 or 15.The difference in the maximum score indicates a difference in cognitive demand in each question.As an illustration, we consider question number I.4, which asks students to name the tools and materials they will use, had a smaller cognitive demand than question number IV.1, which asks them in groups to discuss and write down the strategies they need to improve their works.It aligns with our findings in the Results and Discussion that students experience difficulties developing improvement strategies.Thus, questions I.4 and IV.1 have a maximum score of 10 and 15, respectively.We administered the same considerations to determine the maximum score for the other questions.To demonstrate how we score students' answers on the worksheet, identify the example of one group's answers shown in Figure 1.There are three scoring aspects that we use for students' seesaw products, i.e. relevance, design and construction, and purpose of the product.Product relevance was related to detailedness, product design and construction were related to authenticity, and product purpose was related to devising strategy and providing further explanation.We scored each aspect of the scoring with a range of 1 to 4. As an illustration of the scoring process that we carried out on student products, consider Figure 2   Figure 2 depicts a product that is distinct from those produced by other groups.The originality comes from the use of various colors and decorations while maintaining a balance of seesaws.Thus, we proposed that the group's work was authentic.We provided this product with a four for product form or authenticity.We scored the other aspects using similar criteria.
After completing the scoring process, we utilized descriptive statistics, specifically percentages, to summarize the scores for each indicator of critical and creative thinking skills.In addition, we use thematic analysis to identify key themes in students' worksheet answers.Braun and Clarke (2006) proposed a procedure for conducting thematic analysis.

Results and Discussion
The results of the analysis of students' critical and creative thinking skills are presented and discussed in the following three sections.

Students' Critical Thinking Skills
Table 3 displays the average score of critical thinking skills based on the students' answers on the worksheet and the seesaw product presented for each indicator.Based on these five indicators, the student's critical thinking skills averaged 73.97.The skill of planning is the indicator of critical thinking skills with the highest average score.Two themes of planning skills can be discovered in the student's worksheet answers.First, students can meticulously plan the tools and materials to be used.Second, students can design each design's function or usability.
Translation: Write down the tools and materials that will be used (tools and materials provided: glue gun and popsicle sticks) Answer: Tools: -A hot glue gun (to hold the sticks together) -Markers (to draw) -Scissors/cutter (to cut cardboard and sticks) Materials: -Popsicle sticks (as the arm of the seesaw) -A cardboard/paperboard (as base and pedestal) -Loads (coins) (to check the seesaw's balance) In the worksheet, all students described the tools and materials in detail.Figure 3 depicts the response of one group of students.The diagram shows that the group was able to not only plan tools and materials in detail but also provide a comprehensive classification of tools and materials.In other words, they can create categories and then determine who the members of those categories are.Furthermore, the group provided functional descriptions of the tools and materials they intend to employ to construct a seesaw.
Translation: Draw a seesaw design as detailed and attractive as possible!Write down the reasons too!Answer: Board length = 30 cm Board width = 2 cm Fulcrum height = 6 cm, fulcrum width = 3 cm Load weight = 3 grams (1 coin) The length and height of the handle = 2 cm Reason a.The length is 30 cm, thus, it is not too short b.The width is 2 cm, thus, it is not too thick c.The height of the fulcrum is 6 cm, thus, it can seesaw d.The weight of the load is 3 grams, thus, it balances e.The length of the handle is 2 cm, thus, it is not too long f.The handle length of the horizontal part is 2 cm to match the length of the handle  Figure 5 demonstrates the seesaw product before (left) and after (right) revision.During the trial and presentation, the students who constructed the seesaw saw their mistakes and received feedback from the teacher.The feedback relates to the balance, comfort, and aesthetics of the seesaw.Nonetheless, these students have not used the feedback to develop improvement strategies and have not used these strategies to improve the seesaw.

Students' Creative Thinking Skills
Table 4 displays the average score of creative thinking skills based on the worksheet answers and seesaw products of each indicator.Based on these four indicators, the average creative thinking skills of students are 73.05.Four indicators of creative thinking skills are evaluated, with each indicator receiving a different average score.Flexibility is the creative thinking skills indicator with the highest average score.There are two themes that emerged from students' work in terms of their flexibility: (1) variations in answers and problem-solving; and (2) flexibility in creating appealing designs.
Translation: Draw a seesaw design as detailed and attractive as possible!Write down the reasons too!Answer: Tools and materials -Cardboard (as a base) -Scissors (for cutting) -Toothpick (as support reinforcement) -Sticks (as seesaw) -Glue (as adhesive) -Weights (plasticine) The seesaw has a balanced length and a moderate fulcrum, so the board does not rise too high (safe seesaw).6 displays students who provide a variety of answers and problem-solving ideas, as well as flexibility in creating appealing designs.The students documented the tools and materials.Surprisingly, these students documented the function of each tool and material.This answer is also unique in that it mentions "play dough" as the weight.It means that the students come up with different problem-solving ideas for seesaw weights.Furthermore, Figure 6 demonstrates that these students are adaptable in creating appealing designs.These students present three variations of the image, each with a unique perspective and function.The students each contribute a unique nuance to the product designs.Figure 7 depicts the finished seesaw, whose design is depicted in Figure 6.Even though the seesaw is imperfect, in that it is not balanced and the weight is not the same as planned, the students have created a seesaw that is nearly identical to the design they worked on.The student devised a plan to improve the seesaw by replacing it with a new one.These students may develop the notion that the seesaw they construct must be replaced due to numerous errors.These students, however, did not provide a detailed solution to improve it.The students are aware of errors in their previous designs but are unable to write down ideas for how to correct them fluently.

Discussion
The present study has described the students' critical and creative thinking skills in integrative STEAM-CT teaching and learning.Based on the analysis of critical thinking skills, the students are able to make a reasonable plan.It is because they are given a space to make a plan through one of the EDP stages, namely planning (National Research Council, 2012).Planning is an essential activity in learning.It is because planning necessitates students to consider their objectives and devise strategies to achieve them (Eilam & Aharon, 2003).Such planning can trigger the desired learning behaviors and ultimately lead to higher learning outcomes (Raković et al., 2022).
Based on an analysis of creative thinking skills, the students are adaptable in providing alternative solutions and can create an appealing design.The students have provided reasons and functions for the design aspects on which they are working.Their design drawing is also visually appealing.It is inextricably associated with the critical role of the arts in STEAM integrative learning, which encourages student creativity (Liao, 2016).
The present study also found that several aspects of critical and creative thinking skills need attention.This research shows that some students still lack detail in providing solutions to problems.In general, the students are less aware of the errors made.The students need to evaluate the errors so that the errors can be corrected and not repeated.In addition, they also need to use the feedback they receive for improvement.Therefore, evaluation practices supported by students' feedback literacy are essential for solving problems (Carless & Boud, 2018;Ifenthaler, 2012).It can be corroborated in an integrative STEAM-CT approach by providing peer feedback activities (Chang et al., 2021;Kristanto, 2018).This feedback practice supports the growth of students' critical thinking skills and creativity (Vincent-Lancrin et al., 2019).
There are several limitations to the current study.Following the characteristics of the research method used, namely descriptive qualitative, this study only directly describes the critical and creative thinking skills of students who are the subject of this study.Thus, the findings of this study cannot be generalized to different contexts and settings.Second, this study uses students' answers on worksheets and their final product.Thus, the description of students' critical and creative thinking skills presented here is their skills during the learning process.

Conclusion
The current study explained students' critical and creative thinking skills in innovative STEAM and CT teaching and learning practices.This practice has sparked students to be able to make plans to solve problems, be flexible in providing solutions, and create aesthetic product designs.Nonetheless, this study also found that it was necessary to support students in carrying out in-depth evaluations so that they could provide accurate solutions.In addition, students also need to be supported in acquiring feedback literacy.Therefore, we recommend that the STEAM-CT approach needs to provide space for students to develop their feedback literacy.

Figure 1 .
Figure 1.A sample of students' answers on the worksheet below.

Figure 2 .
Figure 2. A sample of students' seesaw product

Figure 3 .
Figure 3. Planning for tools and materials in one group's answer.

Figure 4 .
Figure 4. Mentioning the function of the design from one group's answer.

Figure 5 .
Figure 5.The initial and final product of one group.

Figure 6 .
Figure 6.Students work showing the theme of variation

Figure
Figure6displays students who provide a variety of answers and problem-solving ideas, as well as flexibility in creating appealing designs.The students documented the tools and materials.Surprisingly, these students documented the function of each tool and material.This answer is also unique in that it mentions "play dough" as the weight.It means that the students come up with different problem-solving ideas for seesaw weights.

Table 1
Mapping Learning Activities, STEAM Content, and CT Dimensions

Table 2
Mapping of Critical and Creative Thinking Indicators, Student Worksheet Tasks, and Student  Product

Table 3
Students' Critical Thinking Skills

Table 4
Students' Creative Thinking Skills