Developing High School Students' Design Thinking Skills Through a Project on Creating Nano Bricks from Polymer Wastes

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to develop high school students' skills on design thinking through the project on ‘nano brick production from polymer wastes’. The target of the study were 20 high school students, studying at Mapammaritwittaya school, Chumphon Province, who voluntarily participated to the study through school’s ‘student development activity’. Two kinds of tools were utilized in the study; firstly were data collecting tools, comprising  worksheet for designing and creating artefacts from polymer wastes, observation and the interview forms for identifying problems on polymer wastes, and record form for reviewing the process and task performed together with problems emerged during working process on designing and creating inventions from polymer wastes and recording forms for product testing data; secondly were producing and testing devices, comprising  plastic melting machine, block machine, compressive strength test block, and infrared thermometer. The criteria used in reviewing the quality of the brick were from Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI). Quantitative data were analyzed through arithmetic mean of compressive strength while qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis. The study was found to be successful in cultivating the design thinking approach of working in students. They were capable of following the design thinking process effectively and also accepting and using self-assessment in reviewing their work along every step of the study process. The nano brick prototype from polymer wastes was proved to have quality of uniqueness and utility. It was tested for standard quality according to the criteria of Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) with the compressive strength at 120 kg/cm², higher than TIS 58 standards for concrete blocks that cannot support weight. Nano titanium dioxide was added in brick mixtures to help reduce the heat of the brick, making the brick more suitable for use.