Promoting systems thinking and abstract thinking in high-school electronics students: Integration of dedicated tasks into project-based learning

Project-based learning is receiving ongoing attention in engineering education. Recently, emphasis has been placed on the importance of systems thinking and abstract thinking among high-school and undergraduate students. In light of the recently reported positive correlation between systems thinking and abstract thinking, the research described in this paper examined whether these two thinking skills could be promoted simultaneously through project-based learning that included dedicated tasks. The study, which used quantitative and qualitative tools, involved 36 high-school electronics students (Grade 12). According to the findings, a significant improvement (large effect) was achieved in both types of thinking. Specifically, the students adopted some of the systems thinker's and abstract thinker's features.