TVARUMO ASPEKTAS RENGIANT STEAM PROJEKTUS PRADINIAME UGDYME [THE ASPECT OF SUSTAINABILITY IN DEVELOPING THE STEAM PROJECTS IN PRIMARY EDUCATION]

STEAM education is identified as one of Lithuania's educational priorities and has been taking root in primary education over the last decade in the form of various creative and/or exploratory projects for students. As education experts analyze the aims and outcomes of STEAM education, it is noticeable that the rapid increase in the number of STEAM projects is resulting in a decrease in the number of relevant real-life problems and solutions that incorporate sustainability aspects. To find out how future primary school teachers consider sustainability in STEAM projects, a qualitative research methodological approach (focus group discussion) and qualitative content analysis were applied. The results of the study revealed that primary teachers perceive sustainability in STEAM projects as environmental knowledge, encouraging students to be responsible consumers, and teaching them how to find and make reasonable solutions to problems. The results of this study do not allow for drawing broad and generalized conclusions, but point to the need to review more carefully the information and assignments presented during the placement year from the sustainability perspective, to encourage students to design and implement different STEAM project models and to critically evaluate them in the context of students' sustainability competence development, and to encourage the primary teachers' readiness to develop sustainability competences in STEAM projects remains a relevant area for further research.