Developing STS skills for children through learning history and culture of Vietnamese kites

Abstract

This research is to develop a STS educational program through a learning project, which is an open project in which the participating children can freely create useful products in their own lives. Research objective: children apply their knowledge, skills, and experience in designing and making “Kite” which is a traditional toy in Vietnam. Research method: I used the case study method, with 5 children from 10 to 12 years old (grades 4, 5 and 6 in Vietnam), the project was carried out in 5 days. After completing the project, the research team used the questionnaire to find out the skills that the children used during the project implementation. In addition, interviews are also regularly used by the research team to assess each children's level of participation and the effectiveness of the project. Findings: children recognize the meaning and necessity of STS education as a problem-solving activity that leads to increased understanding of science subjects, enhanced application of interdisciplinary knowledge, and enhanced creativity by suggesting new ideas.