Integration of project-based and research-based learning in STEM and humanities disciplines as a model for developing creative thinking and an engineering type of culture

Abstract

In the context of the transition to a knowledge economy and the concept of Industry 4.0, the aim of the study was to provide theoretical justification and empirical validation of an integrative model based on the combination of project-based and research-based learning in STEM and humanities disciplines as a means of fostering creative thinking and an engineering type of culture among students. A three-year longitudinal experiment was conducted at three technical and two humanities universities with the participation of 1,845 respondents (1,420 students and 425 teachers and experts) divided into control and experimental groups. The research employed the analysis of more than 350 scientific and regulatory sources, modified Torrance Tests, engineering thinking questionnaires (Bennett), author-designed surveys of value orientations, expert assessments of innovativeness and interdisciplinary depth of student projects, as well as statistical processing using SPSS (correlation analysis, ANOVA, t-test). To assess the effects of integration, the Cognitive Flexibility Index and the Engineering Competence Coefficient were introduced, calculated based on the results of tests and case studies requiring a comprehensive engineering-humanities approach. It was shown that in the experimental groups the increase in the Cognitive Flexibility Index exceeded the control indicators by more than 3.4 times, and the Engineering Competence Coefficient almost doubled compared to the traditional model; a strong positive relationship was found between the volume of the humanities module and the innovativeness of project solutions, especially at the creative level of complexity (r up to 0.821). Delayed testing of graduates one year after graduation revealed higher employment rates in relevant fields, greater involvement in innovative projects, increased employer satisfaction, and nearly a twofold reduction in the period of professional adaptation among participants in the integrative program. It is discussed that the integration of project-based and research based learning creates a holistic ecosystem for developing an engineering culture in which technical competence is linked to humanistic values and social responsibility, while future prospects include scaling the model and studying the impact of digital educational environments and artificial intelligence on the processes of interdisciplinary convergence.