A Designing a STEAM-Based Ethnophysics Model to Strengthen Digital Literacy and Self-Regulated Learning

Abstract

Digital transformation requires students who can critically evaluate information, collaborate online, and create digital products responsibly, yet technology-rich instruction often lacks explicit digital literacy (including foundational computer literacy) and self-regulated learning (SRL) scaffolds. This paper proposes the ESED (Ethnophysics-based STEAM model for digital literacy and SRL) instructional model, which integrates local Ethnophysics phenomena with STEAM design challenges to develop assessable digital competence and SRL in secondary science. Using an educational design research (design-and-development) logic, recent evidence on STEAM, SRL, and the DigComp 2.2 framework was synthesized and translated into six iterative phases: Cultural Anchoring; Inquiry & Data Literacy; STEAM Design Challenge; Digital Production; Reflection & Regulation; and Dissemination & Civic Action. Each phase specifies teacher roles, learner activities, digital tools, and assessment indicators aligned with DigComp competence areas and SRL cycles. Practical supports include a topic–phenomenon mapping, an assessment matrix, and an illustrative unit plan. As a design-product report, this paper does not present classroom trial data; instead, it offers a transparent blueprint intended for expert review and future empirical validation.