Paderborn cooperation project "transMINT4.0" presents results at BMBF Education Research Conference 2025
Promoting the STEM education of children and young people in the long term: That is the goal of the "transMINT4.0" research project, which has been running at Paderborn University since autumn 2022. The project aims to counteract the gap that occurs in the field of science and technology learning during the transition from primary to secondary school. The central question is how the interest of children and young people in STEM subjects can be awakened and maintained in the long term. Didactic experts are investigating the special potential of extracurricular learning centres from the different perspectives of primary and secondary school learners and teachers. The project team will present its initial results on 25 and 26 March at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) Education Research Conference (Bifo). The findings to date indicate that visits to extracurricular learning centres such as STEM workshops or libraries have a positive effect on pupils' interest. Supporting factors are the topicality and relevance to life of the topics covered.
In "transMINT4.0", the "Didactics of Science Education" (Prof Dr Eva Blumberg, project manager) and "Technology Didactics" (Prof Dr Katrin Temmen) work together. The project, which is being sponsored by the BMBF with around 800,000 euros over a period of three years, follows the research approach of design-based research. "This means that we work in several research cycles, collect data and continuously develop the design," explains Ricardo Puppe, research associate at the Blumberg research group. At primary school level, the team is researching the conditions for success in extracurricular and school-based learning in a total of twenty fourth primary school classes in order to promote interest in sustainability topics such as "Renewable energies with a focus on wind power" or "Resource-conserving use of water". Surveys are also carried out in the fifth years of some secondary schools throughout the transition period in order to examine the long-term effects. In addition to the schools, regional cooperation partners include the Paderborn waterworks and municipal drainage company (STEB, sewage treatment plant), Westfalen Wind and the 'coolMINT.Paderborn' school laboratory.
"We are delighted that the relevance of our research project has been recognised by the BMBF as the organiser of Bifo in this way and that the invitation has given us the opportunity to present our research approach and the results to date to a broad audience and to enter into discussion with stakeholders in educational research, educational practice and educational administration," explains Prof. Blumberg.
The studies at secondary level are being conducted in the Temmen specialist group with the accompanying research for the BMBF-funded STEM cluster "MINT4.OWL". "From various perspectives, we are investigating the conditions for the success of mobile workshop offers that were originally designed for the school laboratory but are now offered to young people at various leisure locations such as libraries and youth centres," explains Prof. Temmen. Research assistant Eileen Reckmann adds: "Due to the mobility of the extracurricular programmes, data collection is difficult but worthwhile. It is precisely this unusual format that seems to make STEM programmes attractive to young people."
From their observations, the science teachers of the participating fourth project classes confirm the added value of the extracurricular learning centres visited as a valuable addition to lessons that awakens the children's interest in science. According to the team, the evaluation of the quantitative and qualitative data is currently in full swing in order to rapidly advance the research-based and practice-oriented development of the STEM programmes. The final results are expected to be presented in spring 2026.
