School-Based STEM Curriculum for Cultivating Top-Notch Innovative Talents Through Productive Failure: Project-Based Learning on “Preparation of Transparent Wood”
RONG Yao1, LI Xiang1**, XU Xiao1, YAN Xi2
1. Changjun High School,Changsha 410002,China; 2. Changsha Education College,Changsha 410000,China
Abstract To address the limitations of the traditional “error-avoidance” approach in secondary science laboratory teaching,which tends to constrain students’ exploratory abilities,this study introduced Productive Failure theory into a 16-session project-based learning (PBL) curriculum. Using the school-based STEM course “preparation of transparent wood” at Changjun High School as a case,the study illustrates how carefully designed failure nodes can guide students toward deeper thinking. The relevant polymerization mechanism and kinetic features were further interpreted from a materials chemistry perspective. Discourse analysis based on the SOLO taxonomy showed that the proportion of students demonstrating deep scientific discourse at the relational level or above increased from 18% to 79%. The findings suggest that this instructional model can effectively enhance students’ ability to connect macroscopic and microscopic perspectives and to engage in evidence-based reasoning,thereby providing a practical reference for the cultivation of top-notch innovative talents.
RONG Yao, LI Xiang, XU Xiao, YAN Xi. School-Based STEM Curriculum for Cultivating Top-Notch Innovative Talents Through Productive Failure: Project-Based Learning on “Preparation of Transparent Wood”[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Education, 2026, 47(17): 63-69.
