„Next Generation Design for Climate” mit Schulen im Siegerland: Eine Evaluationsstudie zu Design Thinking verbunden mit Service-Learning in fächerverbindenden Projekten

In view of current societal challenges such as the climate crisis, the question of future-oriented and sustainable educational formats is gaining increasing importance. Against this background, the present dissertation examines how project-based learning can be effectively designed through the integration of Design Thinking and Service-Learning in school contexts in order to enable students to actively contribute to a sustainable future. The aim of the study was to implement an innovative educational format in secondary schools in the Siegerland region (Germany) and to systematically evaluate it over a period of three years. The focus was on fostering subject-specific, personal, and social competences as well as embedding the method structurally into everyday school practice.
The theoretical foundation of the work is based on an interdisciplinary understanding of education that combines Design Thinking as a creative problem-solving process with Service-Learning as a socially engaged learning format. Both approaches are regarded in current educational research as effective methods for fostering self-efficacy, participation, and cross-curricular learning. Particularly in the context of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), such action- and project-oriented learning formats are considered essential to strengthen students’ design competences.
To evaluate the program, a qualitative research design based on the CIPP-Model (Context, Input, Product und Process) was chosen. The focus of the data collection was on guideline-based interviews with students and teachers conducted over three consecutive project years. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using the software MAXQDA, applying the focused interview analysis method. The categorization first followed a deductive structure based on six evaluation questions and was then expanded inductively to include emerging themes from the data, enabling a nuanced comparison of formative and summative assessments.
The findings demonstrate that the project achieved learning gains across various competence domains. Particularly motivating were the self-selected project topics, real-world problem contexts, and interdisciplinary modes of collaboration. Students reported improved self-organization, improved communication skills, and a deeper understanding of social interrelations. Teachers described the project as pedagogically innovative and emphasized its alignment with curricular objectives and its potential to foster a culture of project-based learning. At the same time, they pointed to structural challenges such as limited time resources, a high demand for supervision, and varying levels of experience in working with external partners. The resulting optimization measures aimed to systematically improve both the project structure and the learning environment. In addition to implementing a structured milestone plan and strengthening the integration of out-of-school learning venues, the project intensified collaboration with the university, provided didactic materials, introduced targeted reflection phases, and developed presentation formats to enhance public visibility. These measures proved effective in practice and were positively evaluated by both students and teachers.
The study illustrates that combining Design Thinking and Service-Learning is particularly well suited to initiate transformative learning processes in line with ESD. The iterative project structure, collaboration with external partners, and the high level of student autonomy led to learning experiences that extended beyond the immediate project context. At the same time, it became evident that successful implementation depends on organizational conditions and a supportive school environment. The results contribute to the discussion about future-oriented educational formats and underscore the role of schools as influential actors in addressing social challenges.
This dissertation offers a practice-oriented and theoretically grounded contribution to the advancement of interdisciplinary educational formats. It shows how creative innovation methods can be anchored in school practice and meaningfully linked to civic engagement. With a self-developed Design Thinking Toolkit, the study provides concrete materials for implementing project-based instruction and presents empirically grounded recommendations for schools and educators.