ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. STEM Education
This article is part of the Research TopicSTEM: Innovation on Teaching and Learning Vol. IIView all 24 articles
Connecting Geometric Concepts and Chemistry through 3D Printing: An Integrated STEM Module for Preservice Teachers
Provisionally accepted
- University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, United States
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This study examines the implementation of an integrated STEM module in a mathematics content course for preservice elementary teachers (PSETs). The module was designed to deepen conceptual understanding and foster interdisciplinary reasoning by connecting geometric concepts—such as area, volume, and scaling—with chemistry content on crystal lattice structures and 3D printing technology. Grounded in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) framework, the module incorporated inquiry-based learning, collaborative problem-solving, and a community-based experiential learning (CBEL) component. Findings indicate that PSETs improved their understanding of geometric concepts and strengthened their ability to apply mathematics in real-world contexts. Reflections also revealed increased confidence in integrating STEM approaches into future teaching, highlighting the module's potential to support teacher preparation.
Keywords: Cognition-Based Assessment (CBA), Community-Based Experiential Learning (CBEL), critical reflection, Geometric Concepts, Integrated Mathematics-Enhanced STEM Module, Prospective Elementary Teachers (PSETs), scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), stem education
Received: 06 Oct 2025; Accepted: 12 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Liang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Su Liang
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