Does project-based STEAM curriculum benefit 3, 4-year-old preschoolers’ creative potential? A pilot comparison with theme-based curriculum

Despite the increasing attention given to project-based STEAM education in early childhood settings, empirical evidence regarding its effects on the creative potential of very young children remains limited, particularly in comparison with traditional theme-based curricula. This pilot study employed a 1-year quasi-experimental design to examine the differential impacts of these two curricular approaches on the creative potential of 3, 4-year-old preschool children. Sixty-nine children from three first-year preschool classes participated in the study, with individual assessments conducted before and after the intervention. The results indicated that, although the experimental group initially scored lower than the control group, it demonstrated greater improvement in overall creative potential over time. Within-group analyses revealed significant or marginally significant increases in the experimental group across multiple dimensions, including flexibility, fluency, and originality. In contrast, the control group exhibited no significant improvement and even exhibited a slight declining trend. Repeated-measures analyses further showed a significant Group × Time interaction for overall creative potential, indicating greater developmental gains in the experimental group. After controlling for baseline differences, the experimental group consistently demonstrated higher adjusted post-test means across all dimensions. Although these between-group differences did not reach statistical significance, moderate effect sizes suggested meaningful practical advantages. In addition, both groups exhibited increasing individual differences over time, with greater variability observed in the experimental group. Overall, the findings suggest that project-based STEAM curricula may offer advantages in promoting and sustaining early creative development compared with traditional theme-based approaches. This study provides preliminary empirical support for the implementation of project-based STEAM learning in early childhood education and highlights its potential role in fostering the development of creative potential during the early years.